Ghalenoei unhappy despite Iran advance into Round of 16

DOHA: Despite picking up a second win in a row and booking their place in the next round, Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei was not best pleased with some aspects of his side’s play.

“I’m happy with the three points we got from this match, but I’m sorry that we missed a lot of chances and could have been punished in the last 10 minutes,” said Ghalenoei after Iran beat Hong Kong 1-0 on Friday night.

Hong Kong, the lowest ranked in the tournament, fought hard but were undone by a first-half finish from Mehdi Ghayedi, ending the game at Khalifa International Stadium just one goal behind Iran side ranked 129 places above them.

“I’m very surprised how strong my players were, the training camp was hard and strong and we see the results here. We had to be physically strong. I’m proud of my players for how they pushed and worked hard,” said Ghalenoei.