Qatar's Youngsters Look To Shine Against Afghanistan And India In Joint Qualifiers
(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fawad Hussain
|
The Peninsula
Doha: Young players included in Qatar squad for the upcoming games against Afghanistan and Indian are eyeing to leave a mark in their appearance at the AFC Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifiers.
With the two-time Asian champions already confirming AFC Asian Cup 2027 spot and their progression to the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, head coach Marquez Lopez has included several youngsters in the squad for their last two Group A matches as he looks“to form a strong squad that has a mix of youth and experienced players”.
Qatar will fly to Saudi Arabia to play Afghanistan at Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Ahsa, on Thursday before they meet India at home on June 11.
“It's a great honour to be in the national team and it makes any player happy. Now it's our duty to put our best performance in the two matches,” said forward Ahmed Al Rawi, on the sidelines team's training session at Aspire yesterday.
“We will be ready for the match against Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia. We will follow the coach's plan and we are looking forward to win. All players will give their best efforts to continue our winning journey,” he added.
Qatar have won all their four matches so far beating Afghanistan and India in the first legs before claiming victories in a double-header against Kuwait in March.
Young midfielder Naif Al Hadhrami said Qatar are aiming to keep perfect record before starting their campaign in the third round of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
“We have already advanced in the qualifiers but our target is to win the two remaining matches and maintain the winning streak. It would be a difficult challenge and would require the best efforts,” the 22-year-old said.
“These two matches are very important for the young players. It will give us a chance to gain valuable experience.”
Jassim Al Sharsani, 21, said:“I want to thank the coach for giving this opportunity. We will try to implement coach's plan and will put in the best efforts to prove ourselves. These matches are a great opportunity for all the young players in the team.”
MENAFN04062024000063011010ID1108293040
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.