Jouma confident ahead of Qatar clash

Syria coach Mohamad Jouma immediately set his sights on the final Group D match against Qatar after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Australia failed to secure their place in the quarter-finals.

With Syria having swept aside Saudi Arabia 5-1 and the Young Socceroos having edged Qatar 1-0 a second victory for either side would have secured at least second in the table and with it a place in the last eight.

After a goalless first-half Mahmoud Al Mawas broke the deadlock in the 76th minute but the midfielder’s fourth of the tournament was not enough to give the Syrians all three points, with Corey Gameiro earning the Young Socceroos a share of the spoils with nine minutes remaining.

“The match was very strong as the two teams were looking to get the win and guarantee reaching the quarter final”, said Jouma.

 “We were the better side, and we had many chances unlike the Australians who got only two or three chances”.

 “In the last five minutes the two teams were satisfied with the draw. Our final match against Qatar will be easier than Australia’s match against Saudi Arabia but we will never under estimate the Qatari team who performed very well against Australia in the first match and today against Saudi Arabia.

 “In the final match against Qatar we will look for the win, even though the draw will be enough to reach the second round because we always play for the win and we want to take first place in the group.”

Although the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship runners-up also failed to get the win that would have qualified them to the last eight in the UAE, Australia coach Paul Okon expressed his satisfaction with the point against a Syrian side that swept aside the Saudis in their opening fixture.

“I am very happy, and I think we had a great performance against a strong team who won by five goals against Saudi Arabia two days ago,” said the former Australian international.

“I appreciate the effort of my players and scoring the equaliser was a reward for the team for all the efforts they put in over the last two days to prepare for this match.

“This was a decisive match, with both teams looking for the three points that would help on the road to the World Cup. We were nervous in the first half as we knew that Syrian players would start the match strongly, so we needed some time to adapt to the situation.”