Doha, Qatar: Jesus Casas declared Iraq’s performance “close to the perfect match” after the Lions of Mesopotamia booked their place in the last 16 of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on Friday with an impressive 2-1 win over four-time champions Japan at Education City Stadium.
Aymen Hussein scored both goals for Casas’ side before Wataru Endo headed in a late consolation as the Iraqis notched up back-to-back wins that guarantee their progress to the Round of 16 ahead of their final group game against Vietnam.
“Today’s a great day for the Iraqi people but for us it’s only one win,” said the Spaniard. “We have six points but we have to think about Vietnam. After today the players need to rest, to enjoy but I think my players are very smart.
The 2007 champions stunned the Japanese by taking the lead in the fifth minute when Hussein headed in from close range and, four minutes into injury time at the end of the half, the 27-year-old was on hand to nod in again and earn his team a famous win.
“Football is fighting, it’s the quality you most need to be competitive,” said Casas. “The difference at this level with the national team is you need balance between fighting and quality.
“The perfect match doesn’t exist. It’s impossible to have a perfect match. But we were close to the perfect match."
