Iran trails leader Vietnam by three points and a win for the Central Asian side will surely boost its chances of qualification into the knockout stage, with a possibility of a three-way tie for first place if Australia also defeats Qatar in Group B’s other fixture.
“We were taken aback by Australia’s pace at the beginning of the match and despite changing our approach we still couldn’t force a stalemate,” said Marfavi, whose side last reached the knockout stage in 2016.
Despite the dropped points, Marfavi believes his side will rebound against Vietnam.
“We must get back into our rhythm of winning matches. These players are young and have a strong mentality. I believe in them and we have to work on both our technique and physical aspect of our game.
“Vietnam is a good team. They played well tactically in the first match which was impressive. However, we have analyzed its playing style and have our own tactics and we believe we can win.”
Vietnam's wins over Australia (1-0) and Qatar (2-1) means a draw against Iran will be enough for the team to advance.