Amouta: The opportunity was given to a number of substitute players who did not perform against the Bahraini national team at the expected level (Getty)

Moroccan Hussein Amouta, coach of the Jordanian national team, denied deliberately losing to Bahrain in the group stage in order to avoid facing the Japanese national team in the second round of the Asian Cup.

He pointed out that "no coach can field key players in the last match who are threatened with suspension due to the accumulation of cards."

The Jordanian national team coach pointed out that he gave the opportunity to a number of substitute players who did not perform against the Bahraini national team at the desired level, considering that the file for that match has been completely closed.

He stressed that facing Iraq in the quarter-finals - tomorrow, Monday - in the quarter-finals of the continental championship is difficult.

The Moroccan coach said - in a press conference on Sunday in Doha - that "the Jordanian national team is fully prepared to play a strong confrontation against a competitor who showed up well during the group stage, presented great levels and achieved remarkable results."

He pointed out that he had optimally prepared the players of the “Nashama” team in order to provide the best possible level, achieve victory and qualify for the quarter-finals.

He added, "The Jordanian team's performance was good, especially in the first two matches against Malaysia and South Korea, and we gained great confidence after collecting 4 points and ensuring qualification to the round of 16 before the final round."

He added, "The last match, which the Jordanian team lost to its Bahraini counterpart with an unanswered goal, witnessed the absence of a large number of key players."

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 Hussein Amouta, Jordanian coach:

We did not escape from confronting Japan and Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/NsLlmHxGNz

- Nawaf Al-Asiasi 🇸🇦 (@football_ll55) January 28, 2024

When asked about the possibility of resorting to a defensive plan to confront the strong attack of the “Lions of Mesopotamia” team, Amouta replied, “The Jordanian team does not fear anyone and has a great ambition to go far in the tournament, and we will defend our chances with all force in order to win and qualify for the quarter-finals.”

Al-Hussein Amouta concluded his statements by saying, “The Jordanian national team suffered from some defensive problems before the tournament, but the performance improved greatly in terms of concentration and positioning, which was clearly evident in the matches against Malaysia and South Korea.”

Source: German