(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fawad hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar coach Bruno Pinheiro has said the team management achieved its target at the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup where Al Annabi lost to hosts Iraq in the semi-final in Basra on Monday.
Qatar participated at the Gulf Cup with a new-look team mostly comprising youngsters as Qatar Football Association decided to rest senior players including Almoez Ali, Akram Afif and Hassan Al Haydos after their FIFA World Cup campaign.
Al Annabi reached the semi-finals of the eight-nation tournament sans their experienced players with Iraq ending their campaign with a 2-1 victory.
Qatar's biggest positive in Basra is believed to be an impressive performance by the young players particularly from Amro Siraj and Tamim Mansour, who made debut for the national team during the event.
Siraj scored two goals in the tournament including a strike in 2-0 win over Kuwait in opener and Qatar's lone goal against Iraq. Tamim – son of Qatar legend Mansour Muftah – scored a crucial late equaliser against the UAE in the last group game taking the team into the semi-finals.
The Asian champions did not get ideal preparation for the Gulf as they underwent just a 10-day training camp in Doha ahead of the tournament.
“We did not get a long time to prepare but I am still impressed with performance of the team. I am proud of the youngsters and I am hopeful it will help them in the future,” said Pinheiro.
“Of course there is room for improvement as we need more consistency to achieve our goals. We have accomplished our mission in the light of QFA's vision and we are very very satisfied.”
Midfielder Ismaeel Mohammad, who captained Qatar in Basra, also rated team's overall performance satisfactory.
“The matches we played were not easy and I am happy with team's overall performance. We fielded many youngsters including the ones who were playing with the senior side for the first time. They gained important experience from these matches,” he said.
“We wanted to win against Iraq and qualify for the final match but some small details made the difference in the semi-final.”
Qatar played against Iraq at packed 60000-seater Basra International Stadium with majority of fans backing the home side in the semi-final. Al Annabi also played their matches at Al Minaa Olympic Stadium with both venues attracting huge crowds during their matches.
Midfielder Tareq Salman said playing in front of thousands of fans was the best lesson in the tournament for the youngsters.
“There was pressure of fans in match against Iraq which was a great experience for the players especially for the ones who did not have much experience of playing in front of such numbers. It gave them valuable experience which will help them in the future,” said the Al Sadd player.
Midfielder Assim Madibo echoed Salam's opinion saying though Qatar failed to claim the fourth Gulf Cup title, the team found many talented youngsters who can become an asset for the team in the future.
The tournament's final will be played tomorrow between Iraq and Oman at the Basra International Stadium.