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[Awards Review]
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¢º Five stars from World Cup qualifying to watch in the Asian Cup
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[2023/12/12 ]
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Ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2023, FIFA selects five players who impressed during last month¡¯s opening two matchdays of AFC qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 26¢â.
The 2023 Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar on 12 January, with the region's leading nations battling for continental glory.
Supporters got a taste of what to expect at next month¡¯s tournament when the AFC teams began their qualifying campaigns for the FIFA World Cup 26¢â in the second round this November.
Asian teams certainly made a strong impression at Qatar 2022¢â, with Korea Republic, Japan and Australia all reaching the round of 16, while Saudi Arabia and IR Iran celebrated memorable victories over Argentina and Wales, respectively.
Now with one month to go until the Asian Cup kicks off, FIFA highlights five players to watch in Qatar after their standout performances in last month's World Cup qualifiers.
- Junya Ito (Japan | Stade de Reims)
Ito is one of the fastest wingers in Asia, and the Reims man provided four assists in Japan's 5-0 defeat of Syria on Group B¡¯s second matchday last month. Ito looks a perfect fit for the Samurai Blue¡¯s tactics, which coach Hajime Moriyasu has been fine-tuning since he took over in 2018.
In the past, Japan tended to place a high premium on possession. However, at Qatar 2022, they beat Germany and Spain with an average ball possession of 34.7%. Ito's pace down the right will be a crucial asset for his side, as they look to shut down opponents with hard pressing and then counter-attacking at lightning speed.
- Cho Gue-sung (Korea Republic | FC Midtjylland)
While Korea Republic's most influential forward is their captain Son Heung-min, how well striker Cho Gue-sung performs will have a strong bearing on the Taegeuk Warriors' fortunes at the Asian Cup. In recent games, with Norwich City's Hwang Uijo unavailable, they have relied heavily on Cho, as well as Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu.
After Uijo missed a big chance against Uruguay in the opening game in Qatar, former Jeonbuk Hyundai player Cho started the second fixture against Ghana and impressed with two goals.
Then last month, with half-time approaching and his side unable to break down a stubborn Singapore side in their opening qualifier, it was the 1.89m forward who deftly moved into space behind the defence to finish Lee Kang-in's pass and set the Koreans on their way to a 5-0 triumph. Fortunately for Cho, national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann seems to favour a No9 with a physical presence up front.
- Harry Souttar (Australia | Leicester City)
Only four players in the Socceroos' current squad are in double digits when it comes to goals for the senior team. Matthew Leckie (14), Mitchell Duke (11) and Jamie MacClaren (11) are all forwards, and the other is centre-back Harry Souttar. The Scotland-born defender has been in sensational form for his national team, scoring 10 times in 21 games since his senior debut in 2019.
Souttar netted in each of Australia's first two qualifiers last month against Bangladesh and Palestine. At 1.98m, he is especially dangerous in the air and from set pieces, which the Socceroos have traditionally made good use of. With his ability to contribute in attack as well as defence, he could play a key role for Australia in Qatar next month.
- Harib Abdalla (UAE | Shabab Al-Ahli)
Former Korea Republic head coach Paulo Bento went into his final game in March last year with the Taegeuk Warriors unbeaten in Asian qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2022. At the time, the squad¡¯s morale was high, having just defeated regional rivals IR Iran for the first time in 11 years. However, the team¡¯s unblemished qualifying record came to an end in their final game against United Arab Emirates, which ultimately cost them top spot in the group, with Harib Abdalla scoring the only goal of the game.
After guiding Korea Republic to the last 16 at Qatar 2022, Bento was reunited with Abdalla and Co when he accepted an offer to coach UAE. The Portuguese strategist included the player in his starting XI for the 2-0 defeat of Bahrain in their second Group H match last month, when he surprisingly started legendary striker Ali Mabkhout on the bench. With pace and good technical abilities, the versatile Abdalla is a strong candidate to be part of Bento's rebuilding plans.
- Arif Aiman (Malaysia | Johor Darul Ta'zim)
Malaysia are steadily emerging as a new force in South East Asia. The Malayan Tigers won just three of their 10 games prior to the arrival of Korean coach Kim Pan-gon, but then 18 of their 27 games subsequently. They have also made a fine start to 2026 World Cup qualifying by winning their first two Group D games. Most notably, they came from 3-1 down with 20 minutes to go in their opener against Kyrgyzstan to win 4-3.
Pivotal to that success was Arif Aiman, who provided three assists in the dramatic victory. The 21-year-old has been on fire for Malaysian giants Johor, racking up eight goals and 13 assists in 23 games this season. He came to prominence after scoring in a friendly match against Borussia Dortmund late last year and has steadily improved to become one of the Malaysia¡¯s most exciting prospects.
- The origianl text resource is from FIFA Official Website | |
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