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Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez expressed his delight after his side’s 2-1 win over Oman in their second Group A game of the FIFA Arab Cup, at the Education City Stadium on Friday evening.
Qatar clinched a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA Arab Cup after the video assistant referee (VAR) awarded a 97th-minute goal to hosts to seal a 2-1 win over Oman.
“It was a very difficult match against a strong team, but in the end we managed to achieve a crucial victory,” said Sanchez, during the press conference after the match.
“After this result, we are the first in the group, which is amazing for us but we have one more game. We have to play well to make people proud of the team. It is very nice to see the fans happy today,” Sanchez said.
He added: “The two teams played a good match today, and we had the advantage in the first half, but we faced difficulties in the second half.”
The coach praised his players, pointing out that they showed great commitment and highlighted their “fighting spirit”, which allowed them to score the winning goal in the last moments of the match.
Sanchez concluded by saying: “Things do not end with the victory today. We have to prepare for the next game (against Iraq), as well as, of course, the quarter-final match.”
Oman curse the clock
Had their games ended without any additional time, or even as the clock struck 96 minutes, Oman would be sitting pretty on four points. The fact they have just one to show for their efforts is down to the concession of two truly heart-breaking goals, with Saturday’s 97th-minute winner for Qatar adding to the agony of Iraq’s 98th-minute equaliser on matchday one.
But the team’s veteran Croatian coach, Branko Ivankovic, rejected suggestions that blame should be apportioned for this failure to see games out. “I cannot complain about my players,” he said.
“They were fully concentrated. Just as against Iraq, they didn’t deserve what happened to them today.”
Bahrain banking on
rotation rewards
With a group game to negotiate every three days, coaches at the FIFA Arab Cup have all been weighing up the risks and rewards of squad rotation.
Helio Sousa is well known for readily shuffling his pack, and the Bahrain coach did so again today, making six changes to the team that had lost 1-0 to Qatar. And while his critics will suggest that another goalless outing offered scant justification, Sousa can rightly point out that he employed this rotation strategy at his team’s last tournament in Qatar: the 2019 Gulf Cup. Then, as now, Bahrain took just a solitary point from their opening two matches. But as Sousa will tell you, those fresh-legged Bahraini players later went on to lift the trophy.
Doha
Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez expressed his delight after his side’s 2-1 win over Oman in their second Group A game of the FIFA Arab Cup, at the Education City Stadium on Friday evening.
Qatar clinched a place in the knockout stage of the FIFA Arab Cup after the video assistant referee (VAR) awarded a 97th-minute goal to hosts to seal a 2-1 win over Oman.
“It was a very difficult match against a strong team, but in the end we managed to achieve a crucial victory,” said Sanchez, during the press conference after the match.
“After this result, we are the first in the group, which is amazing for us but we have one more game. We have to play well to make people proud of the team. It is very nice to see the fans happy today,” Sanchez said.
He added: “The two teams played a good match today, and we had the advantage in the first half, but we faced difficulties in the second half.”
The coach praised his players, pointing out that they showed great commitment and highlighted their “fighting spirit”, which allowed them to score the winning goal in the last moments of the match.
Sanchez concluded by saying: “Things do not end with the victory today. We have to prepare for the next game (against Iraq), as well as, of course, the quarter-final match.”
Oman curse the clock
Had their games ended without any additional time, or even as the clock struck 96 minutes, Oman would be sitting pretty on four points. The fact they have just one to show for their efforts is down to the concession of two truly heart-breaking goals, with Saturday’s 97th-minute winner for Qatar adding to the agony of Iraq’s 98th-minute equaliser on matchday one.
But the team’s veteran Croatian coach, Branko Ivankovic, rejected suggestions that blame should be apportioned for this failure to see games out. “I cannot complain about my players,” he said.
“They were fully concentrated. Just as against Iraq, they didn’t deserve what happened to them today.”
Bahrain banking on
rotation rewards
With a group game to negotiate every three days, coaches at the FIFA Arab Cup have all been weighing up the risks and rewards of squad rotation.
Helio Sousa is well known for readily shuffling his pack, and the Bahrain coach did so again today, making six changes to the team that had lost 1-0 to Qatar. And while his critics will suggest that another goalless outing offered scant justification, Sousa can rightly point out that he employed this rotation strategy at his team’s last tournament in Qatar: the 2019 Gulf Cup. Then, as now, Bahrain took just a solitary point from their opening two matches. But as Sousa will tell you, those fresh-legged Bahraini players later went on to lift the trophy.
