By RIZWAN REHMAT
HAMILTON: Asian champions Qatar will get a chance to test their skills on the global stage today when they take on South American giants Colombia on day two of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Qatar, the 1981 finalists, are making a comeback to the tournament after 20 years following their historic Asian U-19 title win last October. Columbia, on the other hand, will be keen to do better than two years ago when they made it to the last-16 stage.
Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar have spent most of May training and playing warm-up games in Australia and New Zealand.
Sanchez held a training session for the Qatari boys yesterday at the Waikato Stadium here, the venue for today’s Group C clash.
This Hamilton encounter — expected to be played in cold conditions — will certainly provide an early opportunity for both sides to prove their mettle.
France triumphed in the last edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Colombians haven’t won the tournament yet, their best performance coming in 2003 when they finished third.
The South Americans have never played the Gulf nation at this level and a win for Sanchez’s boys today could certainly make people sit up and take notice of the Qataris.
Clubbed together with Senegal and Portugal, Qatar are considered the underdogs who could go all the way in Group C.
Qatar, where football remains the number one sport, are returning to the U-20 World Cup after an impressive title win at last year’s AFC U-19 Championship in Myanmar. And despite the two-decade-long absence from the tournament, the Maroons have been tagged as the ‘surprise package’ team, just like the 1981 Qatari team that lost in the final to West Germany.
In October last year, Qatar began their Asian U-19 Championship campaign in style, topping Group D ahead of DPR Korea, Iraq and Oman.
Coached by Sanchez since 2013, Qatar then knocked out China in the quarter-finals.
After disposing of the Chinese, the Qataris then needed extra time to beat hosts Myanmar 3-2 in the semi-finals. Qatar bagged the trophy when they downed DPR Korea 1-0 in the final.
Qatar will be looking forward to their inspirational captain Ahmad Moein, who dictated play from the midfield during Qatar’s triumphant run in Myanmar last October. He had also emerged as the player of the tournament at that event.
The 19-year-old makes up one part of Sanchez’s quartet from Belgian side KAS Eupen. Eight months ago, Sanchez took 13 players from the team that played in Myanmar to play club football in Europe.
“A decision was made to send them to Europe so they could improve as players. It’s a great experience for them, no doubt about it,” Sanchez said at the time.
“I’d really like to see some of them in action at the 2022 World Cup and even the 2018 finals,” Sanchez, a former Barcelona youth coach, had said after Qatar won the Asian title.
Meanwhile, Columbia coach Carlos Alberto Restrepo has selected a squad with just two youngsters with experience of playing in Europe. Andres Tello and Alexis Zapata play in Italy.
Restrepo will especially count on these two players but the Colombian squad doesn’t lack overall quality. Goalkeeper Alvaro Montero and central defender Juan Quintero are both rocks at the back. Key figures further up the pitch include attacking midfielders Sergio Villarreal and Jarlan Barrera and forwards Rafael Borre and Jeison Lucumi.
Lucumi was the team’s top scorer in qualifying with four goals.
Also today, Portugal play Senegal at the same venue.
Portugal, making their third-straight appearance at the U-20 World Cup, finished as runners-up at last year’s European U-19 Championship.
They have won the title in 1989 and 1991 and were also runners-up in 2011. This is Portugal’s 10th appearance at the event.
This is Senegal’s first appearance at the U-20 World Cup. They qualified for the event after making the semi-finals of the African U-20 Championship earlier this year. THE PENINSULA
