Put national team first: Schaefer
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Thailand coach pleads with clubs to cooperate
Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer has pleaded for all Thai clubs to cooperate in the national squad’s preparation for their crucial Asian Cup qualifier away to Lebanon.
The Thais made the worst possible start to qualifying with a 3-1 loss at home to Kuwait. A second consecutive defeat, against bottom side Lebanon, who suffered a 5-0 hammering at the hands of early pacesetters Iran, would deal a severe blow to the Thais’ qualification hopes.
Schaefer’s side will play a warm-up match against Qatar on March 17, but as the date is not on Fifa’s calendar, clubs are not obliged to release their players for international duty.
However, Schaefer, who has announced a preliminary 40-member squad list, is hoping that clubs will cooperate by releasing their players for the training camp in Qatar before the Lebanon fixture on March 22.
“It’s a collective responsibility to help the national side achieve the best possible result. I hope all the clubs and players will think in the same way.
“Our fans deserve to see good performances against both Qatar and Lebanon. The Qatar match is not in a Fifa [sanctioned] day. But with all the love for our national team, I’m hoping to see good everyone cooperate well by releasing their players to help us achieve success.
“It happens in Europe and there’s no reason why we cannot do that [work together]. I’m asking everyone to pull in the same direction in order to help us beat Lebanon and make it through qualifying, which is our target,” the 62-year-old German told reporters yesterday.
The former Cameroon manager also took time to praise Tuesday’s performances of the two Thai AFC Champions League representatives. Muang Thong United and Buriram United secured come-from-behind draws in their opening matches against 2006 champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and J-League runners-up Vegalta Sendai respectively.
He said the national-team players at both clubs would benefit from such top-flight competition.
“Our league has improved a lot over the last two years. We can see obvious signs [of] progress. The experience players gain from playing at the top level will help the [national] team become stronger.
“We’ve had a lot of matches in many tournaments in recent years and that has helped our players improve their game. They now show more courage and play at a higher pace, which is crucial when they face strong opponents on an international stage.”
Uzbeks stun Japanese champs
Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor provided the biggest upset of this year’s fledgling AFC Champions League when they shocked J-League title-holders Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-0 away on Wednesday.
Despite last year’s run to the semi-finals the Uzbek cup-winners were considered underdogs against the Japanese champions, but a late goal in each half made them worthy winners in Hiroshima.
Oleksandr Pyshur struck on the stroke of half-time to put the visitors ahead but it wasn’t until the 86th minute that Bunyodkor could be sure of the win, when Fozil Musaev doubled their advantage.
The victory extends Bunyodkor’s fine form in the Asian competition after they overturned three former champions last year before being halted by eventual winners Ulsan Hyundai in the last four.
Elsewhere on day two, Kashiwa Reysol registered the first Japanese win when ex-Guangzhou Evergrande striker Cleo, returning to China to face Guizhou Renhe, was on target in the first half to secure a 1-0 victory.
The 2009 winners Pohang Steelers were held 0-0 by Beijing Guoan and Australia’s Central Coast Mariners and Suwon Bluewings also finished goalless.
Iranian champions Sepahan cruised to a 3-0 win over Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates with Albanian striker Xhevahir Sukaj scoring twice and Omid Ebrahami adding a third with four minutes remaining.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli also enjoyed a winning start in Group C, beating Al Gharafa of Qatar 2-0.
In Group D, UAE side Al Ain, the inaugural winners of the tournament in 2003, came back from a goal down to defeat 10-man Saudi outfit Al Hilal 3-1 with Australian striker Alex Brosque and Ghana star Asamoah Gyan amongst the scorers.
In Doha, Al Rayyan shared a six-goal thriller with the Qataris coming back three times for a share of the spoils against Esteghlal of Iran.
