Khaberni - The Jordanian under-23 Al-Nashama team enters a crucial match when they meet their Saudi counterparts, at 7:30 PM this Friday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, as part of the second round of the Under-23 Asia Cup competitions.
The “Al-Nashama” cling to their remaining hopes in the tournament, despite recognizing the difficulty of the task against the Saudi team, the home and audience favorites. They have no choice but to win if they want to keep their chances alive and avoid an early exit from the competition.
The Jordanian team received a painful blow at the start of their journey in the tournament, after a surprising loss to the Vietnamese team by two goals to none, a result that sparked a wave of wide public criticism due to the lackluster performance displayed by the team.
The Vietnam team leads the first group with 3 points, ahead on goal difference of the Saudi team, while the teams from Kyrgyzstan and Jordan occupy the third and fourth places, with no points.
The Jordanian team in its first match did not perform well enough even to leave with a draw, as it appeared uncoordinated, lacked attacking solutions and technical cohesion, showing a completely different performance compared to its friendly matches prior to the tournament.
The Jordanian fans had high expectations for this generation, which is seen as the team of the future, but the loss to Vietnam has plunged the team into early doubts and increased the pressure ahead of the match against Saudi Arabia.
The technical staff realizes that a draw will not be sufficient; only a win will ensure control over their own qualification destiny and give them a morale boost before facing Kyrgyzstan in the third and final match next Monday.
