Cho looks ahead to Iran test

South Korea coach Cho Kwang-rae believes a meeting with Iran was always likely if his side were to reach the latter stages of the Asian Cup.

Ranked third in Asia going into the tournament, South Korea beat India 4-1 in their final match of Group C, but the margin of victory could and perhaps should have been greater in Tuesday’s one-sided encounter.

Their failure to convert multiple opportunities – while also conceding a soft goal from the penalty spot – means Korea finish second behind Australia in the group.

They must now overcome relative heavyweights Iran in the quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation’s elite competiton.

“I don’t worry so much about the chances we missed tonight,” Cho said.

“When it comes to Iran, they are one of the powerhouses of Asian football so we’d likely have to beat them at some point to win the tournament.”

“I am quite satisfied about the result of tonight’s match, we had chances to score many goals but I was happy with the players’ attitude towards the game, they took it seriously and did their best.”

“If we can continue these performances, I believe the team will do an excellent job for the quarter-final match.”

Cho believes his team have improved since their last meeting with Iran – a 1-0 home defeat in September – and is confident of progressing to the last four at their expense.

“I’ve seen the Group D games and I’m comfortable about meeting Iran because we played a friendly match in Seoul and if you compare our team from then, we’re much better now,” he said.

“I believe we can control the game against Iran.”

Despite his side losing all three of their matches in Group C, India coach Bob Houghton believes the tournament was an important experience for his players.

“It was the third of three difficult games in eight days,” Houghton said.

“For our team, it was a real challenge, we got through it, we’re richer for the experience, the boys enjoyed it and they’ve learned a lot from it.”

“So I think we can go home and push on from here and do even better things in the next four years.”

“They don’t give up. In all three games we’ve been goals down at half-time and they’ve kept going and kept it close in the second-half. They’ve battled until the end and you can’t ask for more than that.”