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To get the best two teams to face off in the final is the perfect scenario for any tournament. And that is exactly what will happen when Lekhwiya will take on El Jaish in the final of the inaugural Qatar Cup today. These two clubs have finished as the best two teams in the recently concluded Qatar Stars League season with Lekhwiya winning the championship. This in itself makes for a very exciting contest but there’s another factor involved. This Cup final is also a means for both Lekhiwya and Jaish to overcome their disappointing exit from the AFC Champions League. |
While Lekhwiya had suffered an embarrassing 0-5 loss to UAE’s Al Ain, Jaish were kicked out of the competition by a cruel injury time goal by Bunyodkor on Wednesday. Both teams are smarting from that exit, especially Jaish who will feel hard done by the defeat against Bunyodkor.
“The defeat (in the AFC Champions League) was frustrating for us. We will take our revenge with a good performance in the final against Lekhwiya. Hopefully this final will give us a chance to redeem ourselves,” said Jaish player Ali Sanad al-Nuaymi, during the pre-match press conference, setting the tone for the final.
“It was sad that El Jaish didn’t qualify for the round of 16 in the AFC Champions league. It’s bad luck. But that loss means that they will focus completely on this final. It’s a possibility that they take out the revenge on us for their exit,” said Lekhwiya coach Eric Gerets during the pre-match press conference.
“After qualifying for the final and finishing in the Champions League with a win in Iran, we are happy playing this game now, we are ready,” added Gerets.
Lekhwiya have suffered a loss in form over the recent games and even their Qatar Cup semi-final against Al Sailiya was won on penalties. And with Jaish being quality opponents, Gerets stressed that it will be discipline on the pitch that will decide the outcome. “We have beaten Jaish in the QSL but it has always been a tough match. Jaish are extremely organised, maybe the best organised team in QSL this season. We have to get organised on the pitch. And if we don’t have the discipline from the start to the end, then I can already say that we have no chance in the final,” said a rather stern looking Gerets.
Jaish assistant coach Lasaad Shebbi, said the exit from the AFC Champions League hs put added pressure on both the teams to win making for a very exciting final. “Both teams are out of the AFC Champions League. This means both teams have that extra desire to win this Cup.”
“We are always keen on winning the local competitions and with Lekhwiya being a very well organised team, it will be a very good final. I am glad we are playing such a strong team in the final.”
With the current run of results, Jaish are touted to be the favourite going into the final. But Shebbi said that the favourite tag didn’t mean anything. “I don’t believe in such predictions. A coach plays well for three games but then he loses and he gets sacked. That’s how football is today. But I would like to thank all those who think of us as favourites.”
“Lekhwiya are the champions. They have many strengths and are a very organised team. But like every team they have their weaknesses and we will try to exploit that during the game,” added Shebbi.
That Jaish have the favourites tag doesn’t bother Lekhwiya. “At the beginning of the season, when we were winning, the newspapers had said that we didn’t have a chance to win the title. El Jaish and Al Sailiya were considered as favourites. And as you have seen, we made a good comeback in the League. And after the AFC Champions League exit, we made another good comeback. We hope we will continue that run in the final,” said Lekhwiya winger Ismail Mahmoud.
“The final match will be held at our ground and it will be very difficult to let that Cup go out of our home,” he added.
