Uruguay's goalkeeper Sergio Rochet takes part in a training session at the Al Erssal training centre in Doha on November 20, 2022, during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA / AFP)
Doha: Goalkeepers are facing an ever tougher task at World Cup tournaments as the balls travel increasingly fast in flight and the new model being used in Qatar is no exception, Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet said on Sunday.
"Year after year, it gets better for the strikers and for us goalkeepers it gets very tough," Rochet told reporters ahead of the South Americans first match of the 2022 World Cup against South Korea on Thursday.
FIFA has said that the new ball - named Al Rihla or "the journey" in Arabic - travels faster than any other in the tournament's history.
"This is a very fast ball," Rochet said. "We are in a process of adaptation."
The 29-year-old, who plays for Nacional in his homeland, has established himself as the first choice keeper for Uruguay coach Diego Alonso, taking over from Fernando Muslera, 36, a veteran of three World Cups but who is likely to be sitting on the bench this time.
Rochet was speaking to reporters after a training session that ended with a series of games and jokes.
"We have a very good group. There is no doubting the quality. A good atmosphere can be a good influence," Rochet said. "But when the time comes to work, we focus 100% on what we have to do."
