We have achieved our first goal: Iran football coach

DOHA - Iranian coach Afshin Ghotbi is the only coach who can go into his team’s final game in the group stage at the Asian Cup without any pressure.

A 1-0 victory Saturday in their Group D game against North Korea gave his side, who beat title holders Iraq 1-0 in their opening game, six points and a certain place in the quarter-finals - the only team in the competition to have achieved that ahead of their final game.

“We have achieved our first goal and that was to make sure of reaching the second round with one game to play.

“I have said from the beginning that ours was the Group of Death and I think that has proved to be true. To come out of it with a game to spare is terrific and I am very proud of my players.”

He said that he was glad that they were assured of their place in the next round as it afforded him an opportunity to rest players ahead of the quarter-final.

“When we saw the match schedule, we realized that we had a day less to prepare for the quarter-finals than our opponents. Now that we are through, I can give some new players a chance.”

He said that he was happy that his players had come back strongly after a disappointing performance in the first half. “We played a faster game and I think we fully deserved our victory. We were the better side.”