ASIAN GAMES
Gold diggers!

Thailand hosted the 13th Asian Games in December and it was Iran who came away with the gold medal for the second time in three attempts.

MICHAEL CHURCH traveled to Bangkok to watch the World Cup veterans complete a successful 12 months.

t came as no surprise when Iran's newly crowned Asian Games championship winning team climbed onto the top of the rostrum to receive their gold medals from Sheikh Ahmad Al Sabah after their comfortable 2-0 win over Kuwait in the final in Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium.

Amid all the confusion and uncertainty of most federations, who could not decide which team to send to Thailand for the 13th Asian Games, the boys from Tehran had no problem choosing which course of action to take - victory at all costs was objective number one.

Not for them the idea of trying out new players, blooding youngsters in preparation for the next World Cup or giving second string players a chance to find their feet internationally. Victory and victory alone was all that mattered, despite pleas from the Asian Football Confederation for national associations to use the competition as a proving ground for players of Olympic age ahead of this year's qualifying tournament for Sydney.

And so, in the end, it came as little surprise when Ali Karimi and Karim Bagheri scored the goals that mattered for Iran in the final over a lacklustre Kuwaiti team.

Iran had come to Thailand meaning business. While Japan brought a team made up entirely of players under 21, Korea Republic an experimental side with more than one eye on 2002, and Saudi Arabia failed to appear, the Persians kept together much of their World Cup side in the quest for their second gold medal in eight years.

Bayern Munich's Ali Daei was called up and he announced his arrival by proclaiming he would not only take away a gold medal but it would be his goals that would spur Iran to the title while he crowned himself the competition's top scorer. Karim Bagheri took a break from Arminia Bielefeld to join in the quest while as many as six other members of Iran's World Cup side took to the field at the start of the tournament.

Things didn't start well, however, and the Mansour Pourhedari coached side looked rusty at the outset as China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Japan shone in the opening round.

The Chinese were already looking like Iran's greatest threat after coach Bobby Houghton had called up all of his European based players. Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai renewed their Crystal Palace partnership at the back while Li Jinyu and Yang Chen were given a taste of life in attack.

Yang, who plays for Eintract Frankfurt, scored his first goals in a Chinese shirt against Cambodia, registering a hat-trick, while Li was showing the continent his full repertoire of goalscoring celebrations - the samurai swordsman and the baseball player striking a home run were just two of many.

Uzbekistan recorded the biggest win of the tournament's history with a 15-0 win over newcomers Mongolia, while Turkmenistan were proving that the former Soviet republics are continuing to improve with a 3-2 win over Korea Republic.

Hosts Thailand were faring well too, cruising through the opening rounds with comfortable wins over Hong Kong and Oman. The rabid support from the home fans at the Suphachalasai Stadium was only a taster for what was to come in the later rounds.

By the end of the first round there had been few shocks. Big guns like Japan, Kuwait and holders Uzbekistan went through with few worries while Korea scraped through after a win over Vietnam. Iran looked less than convincing in defeating Kazakhstan and Laos as Daei struggled to keep his promise.

While the World Cup stars were failing to shine just yet, the Iranians looked to have unearthed several new talented players. Saeed Ali Mousavi, a swarthy skinned striker with a rangy style, caught the eye while Karimi's skill and power down the left flank mirrored the more established Mehdi Mahdavikia on the right.

There had been few fireworks in the tournament during the first week as minnows such as Nepal, Mongolia and the Maldives were dispatched home. But by the time the tournament reached its second week the pace of the action picked up.

Holders Uzbekistan cruised through Group One, taking neighbours Turkmenistan through with them to the knockout stages ahead of North Korea and India. But it was in Group Two where the real interest lay.

With Korea Republic finishing second in their first round group, the co-hosts of World Cup 2002 were thrown together for yet another confrontation - their sixth at full international level in just over a year-and-a-half.

The Koreans over-powered Japan with their superior thrust in attack as the experience of players such as Yoo Sang-chul helped Noh Jungmoo's side take the win and the three points.

It was the first of three successive victories for Korea in a tough group. The United Arab Emirates were their next victims while Gulf Cup holders Kuwait also offered little resistance.

The Korean results left the fight for the group's second qualifying place wide open. Japan came from behind to beat Kuwait 2-1 in one of the games of the tournament as Korea defeated the UAE. But the Emirates' heavy loss to Kuwait in the opening game and Japan's loss to the UAE in the final group game saw Kuwait qualify for the knockout stages on goal difference.

Kuwait's goal machine had been in full flow during the early rounds as they carried their exceptional form over from the Gulf Cup.

Jassem Al Houwaidi and Farj Laheeb were unstoppable and the team claimed 20 goals in their first five games. But with injury striking Al Houwaidi and Laheeb's steady goal flow starting to dry up, life became a little more difficult for Kuwait.

With Japan out, despite bringing a talented side which included Shinji Ono and Shunsuke Nakamura, the tournament was already missing one of the favourites. No more were to fall before the knockout stages but Iran came mighty close to a huge shock.

Former coach Badu Vieira exacted the sweetest kind of revenge on his former employers when his young, inexperienced and unfancied Oman side destroyed the Iranians 4-2. It was the biggest surprise of the tournament and it was a result that almost saw Iran exit from the competition. Instead, it served to supply Iran with the boost they needed. Gone was the complacency that had so hampered their play in earlier rounds and in its place came a more determined attitude and stronger work ethic. As his side stared elimination in the face, Pourheclari lifted his team to come from behind to defeat China in the final group game 2-1, to see them scrape through to the next round.

Joining them there were Qatar and hosts Thailand, who had now transferred from the Suphachalasai to the new Rajamangala Stadium. Demand for tickets was high and the ground's capacity of 60,000 was nowhere near enough to quench the public's thirst for football.

But the Thais, too, came close to dropping out early and only a win by Lebanon over Kazakhstan in the final round of the group games assured the Thais of a place in the last eight.

Backed by the whole country and with new coach Peter Withe urging them on, the Thais were now a serious contender in the battle for the medals. only once before had Thailand featured at this level when, in 1990, they went on to take fourth place. Now the country was sure they would go at least one step further.

First they had to overcome Korea Republic, not an easy task at the best of times. With Woorawoot Srimaka and Surachai Jirasirachote sent off before the end of the game, Thailand seemed to have no chance as the match went into extra-time.

However, with instructions from Withe to shoot at any given opportunity, the Thais squeezed through as Thavatchai Damrong struck the goal of the tournament from the edge of the area to give his country an unlikely victory.

As the Thais were celebrating, Iran were destroying the 1994 gold medal winners Uzbekistan thanks to a hat-trick from Ali Daei in the last eight minutes. Suddenly the 29-yearold was proving that he was the man to watch after all as he took his tally to eight goals in six games.

Kuwait's goalscoring problems started at the wrong time and they failed to find the net against Qatar. Fortunately the Qataris were just as unlikely to score and their quarter-final went into sudden-death extra-time and then into penalties. Then Kuwait goalkeeper Abbas Al Jassem became the hero as he saved three Qatari penalties to take Milan Macala's side through to the semi-finals.

While all this was going on China were quietly disposing of the black clad Turkmen side and setting up a second clash with Iran in the space of five days.

China went into the game without influential striker Hao Haidong, who had been sent off in the 3-0 win over Turkmenistan after arguing with and then spitting at the assistant referee. His absence was noticeable as the Chinese lacked the firepower to disrupt an Iranian defence missing the everreliable Mohammad Khakpour, who would be out for the rest of the tournament with a knee injury.

Yang Chen proved to be no substitute for the Dalian striker and a solitary goal from Mousavi was enough for Iran to win their fourth game in a row against China in the last 16 months. Iran, in spite of their loss to Oman, were through to the final.

Kuwait were soon to join them there, although the Thais could not complain about the lack of support for their semi-final clash. The locals turned out in their thousands with many estimating that the stadium was full well beyond capacity. Some believed the numbers to be over 70,000 while others suggested 80,000. The truth of the matter is that no-one will never know just how many people crammed into the arena. one thing that is certain is that the situation had disaster written all over it. Had Thailand scored first that danger could very well have been realised.

As it happened the home side had little hope of victory, Kuwait taking the lead after just 27 seconds. The game was as good as over before it had started and Macala's team ran out 3-0 winners.

And so it was on to the final Iran v Kuwait - an all west Asian affair that brought together Asia's only winners at the summer's World Cup and the Gulf Cup winners for the past two years.

Kuwait, though, never really had much of a chance. Having played 28 games in three different tournaments in the space of three months, Macala's young side looked tired and were always destined to be second best. When Karimi headed home unmarked from a corner after just six minutes the game was over for Kuwait. Bagheri merely hammered the final nail in the coffin with the second goal 20 minutes later.

The most experienced side in the tournament had won while China picked up the bronze by beating the hosts in the third-place play-off. But with Saudi Arabia missing and few sending their full-strength sides, it has to asked: 'How much are Iran's gold medals really worth?