Qatar coach Felix Sanchez and captain Hassan Al Haydos interacted with the media on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2022 opening match at the Al Bayt Stadium.
#2022WorldCup Opening Match đđ
Qatar đ Ecuador
đ 19:00 (Doha time)
đ Al Bayt StadiumWeâre all getting behind #AlAnnabi đĒđļđĻ#AllForAlAnnabi#Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/qvjBVpxMdi
— Qatar Football Association (@QFA_EN) November 18, 2022
Felix Sanchez was the first coach to hold a pre-match news conference on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s opener against Ecuador.
The Qatar coach was realistic about his side’s ambitions at their first finals, considered Ecuador clear favourites and suggested their Group A rivals may have already written the hosts off. Felix Sanchez spoke highly of the team’s preparations in the lead-up to the momentous occasion.
“We kept calm. We are in good form. All the players come here with the highest motivation for tomorrow. We will try to give a good performance and be competitive.
“We have to be realistic around possibilities, but we have to do well.”
Sanchez believes Qatar are “worthy to be here”, but his realism was reflected in his analysis of a group that contains the Netherlands and Senegal, as well as Ecuador.
“It’s three matches, and we know the level of our opponent,” said Sanchez. “Due to their history, their individual talent, their careers where they play, they are ahead of us.
“On paper, they should get the three points. Maybe they count on the three points already.
“But we are here to show we can be a competitive team. We will bring our ‘A game’ and try to get good results that will bring so much joy.”
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos added: “We want to show the results of all of our hard work. God willing, we will perform much better than any game before.”
Al Haydos said ,”We are very motivated, excited and happy to be playing in a World Cup on Sunday. We are focusing on how to arrive with our best conditions. We don’t take anything else into account.”
Bengali