World Cup fear factor gone ahead of Algeria clash, says Jordan coach
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SANTA CLARA, California, June 21 : Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said opening night nerves that gripped his players during their World Cup debut had disappeared and backed his side to deliver in Monday’s high-stakes clash with Algeria.
Jordan and Algeria lost their opening Group J matches and know defeat at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium could see either knocked out, depending on the result of the Argentina-Austria game.
Jordan impressed with their fight on debut and scored their first World Cup goal before falling 3-1 to Austria in front of a huge crowd at the same venue last week.
Sellami, however, was confident the “Al Nashama”, or “noble ones”, would be better against Algeria.
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“We know that the fear of the opener is behind us now,” Sellami told reporters on Sunday. “The players are more trusting in their abilities.
“Now they are more relaxed and more assured that they will give their best on the pitch.”
Jordan face an Algerian side battered by a Lionel Messi hat-trick in their 3-0 loss to Argentina but Sellami warned against reading too much into the result.
“They played against the world champions … The Algerian team are strong on attack, fast and have important players – even in the substitutes,” he said.
Despite the high stakes and the prospect of an emotionally-charged all-Arab encounter, Sellami said the way Jordan played was more important than the result, noting his players’ tight discipline against the Austrians.
“We didn’t get any kind of yellow card and this reflects the positive spirit of our squad,” he said.
“Even more important than the result or anything else is the performance on the pitch to show a very respectable face of the Jordanian squad.
“Outside the turf, we’re brothers,” he added of Algeria.
“We love each other and this match will reflect this Arab brotherly spirit.”
Source: Reuters
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