By Armstrong Vas
Doha: Confident Qatar take on Asian power house China as they begin their quest for one of Asia’s three berths at the Rio Games here today at the AFC U23 Championship.
Coach Felix Sanchez side, is one of the sixteen teams competing in the championship and is placed in Group A along with Syria and Iran.
“We’ve been working hard. We’ve had training camps in Qatar and overseas. We look forward to our first match,” said the Spaniard, who guided the hosts to the AFC Under-19 title in Myanmar in 2014.
Responding to a question Sanchez said it will be a touch and go situation in all the four groups and emphasized it was important to begin well.
“All groups are tough. The first game is very important. We will play against a very good quality side and we will aim to play good football and be successful.
“All the four teams (in Group A) are here to qualify, so it will be tough for all, the pressure will be there in every game.
Two teams from each of the four groups will qualify for the quarter-final stage of the championship.
“All the 23 players on the list are fine in terms of fitness and we are confident that we are ready. We started to work six months ago and all the players have arrived in good shape,” added the Qatar trainer.
Sanchez said Qatar’s will take it match by match.
“We need to go step by step. Every game will be different. Our first target will be the group stage (qualifying for the quarter-finals) and then the knockout. The final target is Games qualification.”
The Qatar coach said the pressure to perform was there but urged his wards to enjoy the match situations.
“ It is a big event for young players. Some are pros. The AFC U23 is a big event, the pressure is there when you play against such teams. We have to compete and learn. I hope they enjoy the competition. We will help the players if they feel pressure. We need to perform well to go to the next round. We are a team and every player has a role. On today’s opponent the Qatar trainer said the Chinese side is a ‘very organised’ side.
Sanchez counterpart Fu Bo meanwhile is playing his cards close to his chest.
“The players are ready for the championship,” said Fu, as China’s seek to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since hosting the Games in Beijing in 2008.
“We think Qatar are a very strong team but we will prepare well for this game and hopefully we can get a good result. Our players do feel some pressure but our coaches will try to relieve that pressure as we get prepared for the game because it’s really important.
Qatar second match is against Iran on Friday and on the same day China will play Syria. The last group games are set for January 18 with Iran meeting China and Qatar playing Syria.
In today’s other match, Iran face Syria in Group A, with former Geylang United defender Mohammad Khakpour hoping to steer the Iranians to their first Olympic appearance since 1976.
“We are ready, our players are working so hard and we are not here to just qualify for the Olympics but to win the tournament and be the champions.”
Meanwhile, strife-torn Syria which be aiming to forget some of their off the field worries and bring cheers to their supporters back home.
Coach Muhannad Al Fakeer is confident his team can make a strong start against the Iranian side.
“We know this is a first match in this competition and we know it’s important and we know many things about the Iran team,” said Al Fakeer.
“Iran will be very different to what we saw two months ago here in Qatar,” he added.
“We know the Iran team have a good team, good fitness, very strong players, speed. It will be a very tough match, but we believe it will be the passport to qualify for the next stage. We wish to get a good result against them.” The championship ends on January 30.
The Peninsula
