+ A
A -
Tribune News Network
Doha
All eyes will be on the young Adama Ba of Mauratania when the side takes on Yemen in the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 playoff match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday at 8pm.
Ba and his team-mates have an opportunity to grace another tournament.
The fixture is a one-game knockout, with the winner earning a place in the tournament’s final phase at the end of the year in Qatar.
Stellar performances early in his career saw Ba make his Mauritania national-team debut at just 20 . He later played a key role in helping Les Mourabitounes qualify for their maiden CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
Now, Mauratania would want him to deliver on another big occasion an he promises to give it his all.
Asked about the fixture, Ba said: “It’s an important game and won’t be easy, but we must give our all in order to qualify for the Arab Cup.
“The best thing about us is our team spirit, which is the reason we’ve had good results in recent years. It’s up to us to give everything now to make the finals.”
Mauratania’s French coach Corentin Martins confirmed that his team has all the ingredients that qualify it to beat Yemen in the confrontation.
The coach praised the Qatari organization for the qualifiers, describing it as exemplary, noting that everything went well since the arrival.
At the pre-match press conference on Monday, he said, “ We had a perfect reception, and everything was wonderful, accommodation, stadiums, services and facilities, and I think this is the best evidence that Qatar will deliver the tournament in a perfect way in all respects.
Regarding the match, he said, “It is difficult, of course, because it is football and the chances remain equal. We have followed the Yemeni team and monitored it well through its recent matches, and I see that my team is able to qualify, but provided that it presents the expected level. We enrich the experience in the Arab Championship, it is one opportunity and there will be no compensation, and therefore we have to be present in terms of mental, technical and tactical aspects in order to achieve our goal of crossing.”
About playing in a stadium that has cooling technology, he said, “This is really amazing, when you can control the temperature that reaches forty degrees outside to make it close to 22 in the stadium and the stands, this is wonderful, it will be my first experience playing on stadiums that have those Unique technology and of course happy with that.”
Regarding the recent development of the Mauritanian team, he said, “We have made many strides and reached the next African Cup, and we want to continue our successes and qualify for the Arab Cup finals in order to continue friction and development through various experiences.”
In contrast, Yemen coach Ahmed Ali Qassem said, “We are happy to participate in the qualifiers, as the tournament is considered a mini World Cup for the Arab world, and we must thank Qatar for hosting and facilitating all things to hold good matches .
He added: “The match is difficult for us, especially after the disappointing performance in the double qualifiers. Today, we are required to improve the image and qualify for the group stage of the Arab Cup. We have a lot of work in the match to achieve the desired, especially since the Mauritanian team is one of the strong teams, and it has professional players. In the European leagues, his performance has improved in the recent period, and the match will certainly not be easy at all.”
Regarding his team’s chances of winning, he said, “I see that the opportunity is equal, and we have the incentive to compensate the audience in the match, as it is in a different tournament, and we hope to meet the expectations of the Yemeni public, who are thirsty for victories; But the circumstances affected us. The team has not played friendly matches or a league championship for a year and a half. However, we played three strong matches in the qualifiers against Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Palestine that will contribute to achieving harmony between the team before the Mauritania match.”
About Mauritania being considered better than Yemen one, he said: The team is really developed, and its draw with the Moroccan team back and forth indicates that it is a good team, they have players in the European leagues, but our team is determined to give its best.”
On excluding Muhammad Al Dahi from the team list, he said, “He wasn’t excluded, but rather not including him was in coordination with his club and the players present.”
Yemen player Abdul Wasa Al Matari, said, “We know that the match will be strong from both teams. We must avoid making mistakes until we achieve what is required.”
Doha
All eyes will be on the young Adama Ba of Mauratania when the side takes on Yemen in the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 playoff match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday at 8pm.
Ba and his team-mates have an opportunity to grace another tournament.
The fixture is a one-game knockout, with the winner earning a place in the tournament’s final phase at the end of the year in Qatar.
Stellar performances early in his career saw Ba make his Mauritania national-team debut at just 20 . He later played a key role in helping Les Mourabitounes qualify for their maiden CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
Now, Mauratania would want him to deliver on another big occasion an he promises to give it his all.
Asked about the fixture, Ba said: “It’s an important game and won’t be easy, but we must give our all in order to qualify for the Arab Cup.
“The best thing about us is our team spirit, which is the reason we’ve had good results in recent years. It’s up to us to give everything now to make the finals.”
Mauratania’s French coach Corentin Martins confirmed that his team has all the ingredients that qualify it to beat Yemen in the confrontation.
The coach praised the Qatari organization for the qualifiers, describing it as exemplary, noting that everything went well since the arrival.
At the pre-match press conference on Monday, he said, “ We had a perfect reception, and everything was wonderful, accommodation, stadiums, services and facilities, and I think this is the best evidence that Qatar will deliver the tournament in a perfect way in all respects.
Regarding the match, he said, “It is difficult, of course, because it is football and the chances remain equal. We have followed the Yemeni team and monitored it well through its recent matches, and I see that my team is able to qualify, but provided that it presents the expected level. We enrich the experience in the Arab Championship, it is one opportunity and there will be no compensation, and therefore we have to be present in terms of mental, technical and tactical aspects in order to achieve our goal of crossing.”
About playing in a stadium that has cooling technology, he said, “This is really amazing, when you can control the temperature that reaches forty degrees outside to make it close to 22 in the stadium and the stands, this is wonderful, it will be my first experience playing on stadiums that have those Unique technology and of course happy with that.”
Regarding the recent development of the Mauritanian team, he said, “We have made many strides and reached the next African Cup, and we want to continue our successes and qualify for the Arab Cup finals in order to continue friction and development through various experiences.”
In contrast, Yemen coach Ahmed Ali Qassem said, “We are happy to participate in the qualifiers, as the tournament is considered a mini World Cup for the Arab world, and we must thank Qatar for hosting and facilitating all things to hold good matches .
He added: “The match is difficult for us, especially after the disappointing performance in the double qualifiers. Today, we are required to improve the image and qualify for the group stage of the Arab Cup. We have a lot of work in the match to achieve the desired, especially since the Mauritanian team is one of the strong teams, and it has professional players. In the European leagues, his performance has improved in the recent period, and the match will certainly not be easy at all.”
Regarding his team’s chances of winning, he said, “I see that the opportunity is equal, and we have the incentive to compensate the audience in the match, as it is in a different tournament, and we hope to meet the expectations of the Yemeni public, who are thirsty for victories; But the circumstances affected us. The team has not played friendly matches or a league championship for a year and a half. However, we played three strong matches in the qualifiers against Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Palestine that will contribute to achieving harmony between the team before the Mauritania match.”
About Mauritania being considered better than Yemen one, he said: The team is really developed, and its draw with the Moroccan team back and forth indicates that it is a good team, they have players in the European leagues, but our team is determined to give its best.”
On excluding Muhammad Al Dahi from the team list, he said, “He wasn’t excluded, but rather not including him was in coordination with his club and the players present.”
Yemen player Abdul Wasa Al Matari, said, “We know that the match will be strong from both teams. We must avoid making mistakes until we achieve what is required.”
