The FIFA rankings were revealed in June, and the rankings foreshadowed the grouping for the upcoming Top 12 tournament. It is worth noting that our country is ranked the same as Iraq, so they will not be in the same group. It seems that the grouping for the 12-team tournament, which will be revealed on July 1
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The destiny of the city has long been set in motion, foreshadowing a challenging journey.
Iraq, the traditional powerhouse of Asian soccer, despite the fact that it's not the same as the
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The most recent encounter was three years ago in 2018, but it was always the
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The Nemesis. Last time.
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Beating Iraq goes back to the 2013 Asian Cup qualifier, which was a close 1-0 win at home. In that match, our team, playing with an extra man at half-time, held the lead at home until the 90th minute when Dabao scored to turn the tables on the former Asian Cup champions.
In recent years, Iraq has been ranked in the second tier in Asia behind Japan, South Korea, Iran and Australia. Iraq had drawn against Iran in the group stage of the 2019 Asian Cup and lost by one goal to eventual winners Qatar in the 1/8 final.
Currently, in Asia, Japan and South Korea, Iran and Australia are clearly in a higher bracket. However, in the Top 12, the remaining 8 teams are of equal strength, and the winners and losers often depend on the details. According to the current FIFA rankings, we managed to avoid Iraq, while Saudi Arabia and UAE in the third slot are also
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opponents with relatively favorable historical records. At least in terms of classification.
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The luck of the draw was pretty good.
Of course, breaking out of the Top 40 is no easy task.
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There is still a need to be prepared for an uphill battle. Historical records are important, but Asian soccer as a whole is improving, including our country with naturalized players. In the end, fate is still in our own hands, and as the four consecutive victories in the second phase of the 40-team tournament proved, victory needs to be earned with our own hands.
