Doha: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has stressed Al Annabi will not take the third-place match of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 against Egypt as a ‘friendly’ when both sides clash at Stadium 974 today.
The championship hosts lost 2-1 to Algeria in a dramatic semi-final at the Al Bayt Stadium last Wednesday. The Asian Champions have been impressive in the competition and will have a chance to finish on a high note despite missing out on the ultimate prize.
“We don’t take this game as a friendly,” Sanchez said yesterday during a press conference.
“We are looking forward to playing our last game in the competition tomorrow (today). Unfortunately, we could not make it to the final, but we are motivated to play against Egypt. They have been one of the strongest teams in the competition. It would be a good game for us, and we are looking forward to the game,” he added.
Sanchez, who led Qatar to the Asian Cup title in 2019, has suffered three straight semi-final losses (Gulf Cup, Gold Cup, and Arab Cup). However, he has overseen a renaissance in Qatari football with players like Akram Afif, Abdulaziz Hatem, Hassan Al Haydos, and others reaching their potentials.
“We are proud of our players and performance. This is football; you lose against big teams. We always play as a collective in our squad, performance has been good, and it’s all about the details for us.
“It has been a good tournament for us to see how we play. Also, some players got more minutes due to the circumstances, and it’s good to see they are all involved in the team. We competed well against all the teams we played, which is important for us, and we hope to continue competing.”
Commenting on playing North African teams and on the challenge the Egyptian team would pose, the Spaniard said, “It’s nice to play this competition. We have faced different teams with different styles, and it has been very interesting for us. We don’t get many opportunities to play African or North African teams, so this has been remarkable, and the fact we play in Qatar and a World Cup stadium is very nice for us.
“Egypt have a young team, and so do we, but it’s not just about experience and young players, but also quality. They have played good football and showed how competitive they are, and they have one of the best coaches in the world.”
Meanwhile, 1992 champions Egypt have one of the youngest teams in the tournament.
The record African champions are one of three from the continent to make the tournament’s final four. Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed the competition had been an excellent opportunity to bring young players into the team.
“Our goal of coming here was learning to win. We have achieved that, and we have one more game, and we shall be ready to win this one. It’s a privilege to play Qatar in this competition, and we aim to finish as the third-best team in Arab Cup,” Queiroz said.
“Playing and learning was our target, and I am very proud of my players and our team. Now, we play Qatar, and this is like a World Cup final for us. We play a team that has been preparing for the past six to seven years. They have played in Copa America, European qualifiers, and they meet us also after a fantastic journey in the FIFA Arab Cup, so I am pleased,” he added.
Queiroz maintained that despite losing to Tunisia in the semis courtesy of an unfortunate own-goal, his side will bounce back today.
“Football is all about bouncing back. It’s about winning or learning, and the lesson from the last game was that when you have two or three opportunities against Tunisia in such an important match, we need to capitalise. Ironically, Tunisia are playing a final with a goal they didn’t score, but that’s the way it is,” the former Real Madrid coach said.
