Qatari players take part in a practice session at the Al Sadd Stadium, yesterday, on the eve of their match against Afghanistan.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez is pleased with the early-season form of his players going into today’s joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying match against Aghanistan.
The regular football season in Qatar started two weeks ago allowing the clubs to hit the ground running in what will be a busy period of 10 months for the national side.
Qatar team captain Hassan Al Haydos fired his 100th career goal for club Al Sadd in their last Qatar Stars League (QSL) clash against Al Shahaniya a week ago.
The squad also includes Qatar’s premier young strikers Akram Afif and Almoez Ali, named the Player of the Tournament at the Asian Cup earlier this year.
Asian Cup champions host Afghanistan at Al Sadd Stadium where they take on India in a Group E clash on September 10. The other two teams in the group are Bangladesh and Oman, the 2017 Gulf Cup winners.
“The players did a good job since they started with their clubs. They have had good games. Some of them have shown good level,” Sanchez said during a pre-match conference yesterday.
“That’s good for us as they arrive in good condition. We don’t have too much time to prepare for these games but they are in good practice. I know they are in good position to start the match (against Afghanistan),” he added.
In a staggering run of form, Qatar played 21 internationals (12 wins, 2 draws, 7 losses) in a little over 13 months. In the same period, rivals Afghanistan have played just four internationals.
Sanchez, however, dismissed the thought that Afghanistan - ranked 149 in the world - would be an easy target.
“Football is never played on paper. Everything happens on the pitch. We fully respect both teams. No team is favourite. We will try to keep giving our best in our bid to emerge as the best team,” Sanchez said.
“This qualifying phase is very important to us. We are starting a new season. We are going to play (for the first time) after Asian Cup (victory). We are excited and looking to have a good performance.
“We will face Afghanistan the right way. We want a good result. We want points. We play India after this. We will be playing in front of our fans. We want to give a good impression,” he added.
“Of course there is no easy match. I am not sure if it is right to take them easy. We will fight. It is normal for people to say that (Afghanistan are easy target). We will plan like it is a big match. The players are very motivated to play well,” Sanchez said.
“We are getting closer to most important event in football (the 2022 FIFA World Cup). We are going to host the event. It is another motivation to do well. We are in the right conditions. We want good performances and results.
Qatari player Asim Madibo said yesterday: “Like the coach said, tomorrow is a new start. We want to keep the good work going from last season.”
