Qatari under-19 players in action during a practice session in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday, ahead of their AFC U-19 quarter-final match against Thailand which will be played today.
Jakarta: With today’s AFC U-19 Championship quarter-final between Qatar and Thailand looming large on the horizon, qualifying for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup is providing motivation aplenty according to the Al Annabi’s coach Bruno Pinheiro.
The top four sides in Indonesia will guarantee themselves a ticket to the global extravaganza in Poland, leaving both Group A winners Qatar and Thailand, who finished as runners-up in Group B, potentially just 90 minutes away from the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the game’s finest.
Pinheiro believes the chance to qualify for the event will only spur his youngsters on to succeed.
“We are happy to be still involved at this stage of the competition, and of course we want to progress even further, initially to qualify for the U-20 World Cup,” he said.
“Having the chance to go the World Cup will, I hope, be motivation enough for my team against Thailand.”
“Sometimes when there is a need to win, players become afraid to do what they are meant to, or what they are used to doing. As we saw when we played against Indonesia, we were playing very well but suddenly we became afraid to play our normal style.
“Such a big game should be a motivation though. Hopefully, we will have the answers and what it takes to both win the match and qualify for the U-20 World Cup,” Pinheiro said.
After losing their opening group stage fixture to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar responded by winning their next two matches against host nation Indonesia and Chinese Taipei – an upturn in fortune that has pleased Pinheiro.
“We have rebounded well after our defeat in the first match,” declared the Portuguese tactician.
“As you saw in the last game against Chinese Taipei, we had great possession and played without fear, something which can only stand us in good stead ahead of our quarter-final,” Pinheiro said.
