Debutants Jordan showed their effective defensive capabilities to earn a valuable point, thanks to a goalless draw, against group favourites South Korea.
Today, the Asian Cup minnows will have to illustrate their attacking prowess against Kuwait in a bid to secure a quarterfinal berth.
Jordan have played in the World Cup qualifiers against Iran, Qatar and Korea with all three Asian teams failing to score. This alone is an illustration of Jordan's strength in defense and the brilliance of their 22-year-old custodian Amer Shafi, who has already earned the admiration of supporters and critics.
The team missed a few chances against Korea because they were concentrating more on defence than on attack. But they must realise that the need to score goals today is important if they are to enter the quarterfinals.
Kuwait, on the other hand, need to win today. They lead Group B with three points and six points will be enough to win promotion to the quarterfinals.
The team was lucky in their opener as the UAE presented them with an easy outing. But today they will have to depend on their own capabilities and try to penetrate the rock-solid Jordanian defense.
"Just qualifying for the tournament was a dream, but we are now determined to reach the quarterfinals. I believe that my players are capable of winning the match," said Jordan's coach Mahmoud Al Jawhari.
"Jordan have a good defense and a spectacular goalkeeper, but we are going out to win the match because that will secure our place in the quarterfinals," said Kuwaiti coach Mohammad Ebrahim.
Gulf News
