TEHRAN - Hasan Roshan, former Iran national football team player, thinks that the atmosphere within the Iranian national team's camp in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup is amazing.

“I was at the stadium for the game against Palestine. The victory against Palestine boosted the players' morale for the game against Hong Kong,” Roshan said in his interview with Tehran Times.

“Fortunately, we managed to secure a win against Hong Kong in a tough match. We encountered a similar situation against Syria in the knockout state. Syria were a resilient team during our match, but despite Taremi's red card, we were able to defeat them. The key is always to focus on our game and perform well against defensive teams like Syria,” he added.

Iran secured a commanding 4-1 victory against Palestine and narrowly won 1-0 against Hong Kong in Group C.

Amir Ghalenoei’s team demonstrated dominance by defeating the UAE 2-1 during the group stage. They faced a tough challenge against Syria in a penalty shootout during the knockout stage.

Then, in an impressive turnaround, Iran came from behind to defeat Japan 2-1 in the quarterfinals and are now set to confront host country and defending champions Qatar on Wednesday.

“Qatar are a patient team with tactical football. We defeated them with four goals in the final of the Jordan tournament a month ago, but let's forget about that game. Qatar are determined to reach the final and enjoy the support of their fans,” said the former Iran national team player.

“We should not underestimate Qatar national team. We need to replicate the strong second-half performance against Japan from the beginning against Qatar. Iran performed exceptionally well against Japan, especially considering that the players had already played 120 minutes in the previous match and were suffering from fatigue. Overall, I believe that if we reach the final, we will become the champions of Asia,” Roshan added.

When asked about the role of technical staff of the national team in the good run of the team, Roshan stated, “The reality is that our football did not progress under former coach Carlos Queiroz. His appointment as head coach for the Iranian national team was wrong and halted our football progress.

“If we are here now, it's undoubtedly due to the talent and abilities of our players and the guidance of the current coaching staff. I hope the condition of sports and football in our country improves overall,” Roshan concluded.