of the 1996 Asian Cup, the Syrian team beat Uzbekistan (2:1), thanks to goals from Nader Joukhadar and Ali Dib, but they were beaten by Japan (1:2 , goal by Nader Joukhadar) and by China (0:3). By finishing 3rd in the group, they had a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals but having a low score compared to the other two countries (Iraq and South Korea), the team finished as the worst 3rd, again missed the knockout phase by a close margin. From 1996 to 2007: Years of hope and disappointment At the 1997 Pan Arab Games in Beirut, they reached the final, in which Jordan defeated them 0–1. One of Syria's biggest victories was recorded in Tehran on 4 June 1997, against the Maldives, a match that ended by a final score of 12–0 for the Syrians. 5 days later it faces again the Maldives, still in Tehran, which ends with the same score of 12–0. These two matches were played as a part of the qualification of the 1998 World Cup, where it was eliminated in the first preliminary round, ahead of the Iran. The Syrian team was twice finalist in 2000 and in 2004 of a regional competition, the West Asian Football Championship, beaten each time by the Iran; as they reached the semi-finals of the West Asian Championship 2002 held at home but lost to the Jordan on a golden goal scored in the last minutes of extra time (1–2), before losing to Iran on penalties during the match for the 3rd place (2–2, 2–4). As for the qualification of the World Cup 2002, they were overtaken by the Oman at 1st, while being ahead of the Philippines and the Laos. In the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, they did not advance to the third stage after uncertain match performances and losses with Bahrain (1–2) and Kyrgyzstan (0–1). During this period, the national team participated in the 2007 Nehru Cup, where after the first victory over Bangladesh (2–0) they defeated Kyrgyzstan (4–1), India (3–2) and Cambodia (5–1) and advanced to the finals. The top scorers were famous Syrian stars Zyad Chaabo (5 goals) and Maher Al-Sayed (4 goals). But the cup final for the team did not turn out well, because they lost to India 0–1. From 2007 to 2012: Great achievements In 2007, Syria advanced to the WAAF Cup under the leadership of coach