By Sports Reporter/Doha
Often attack is the best form of defence, and Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi was extolling the virtues of this strategy after his side beat Oman to qualify for the final of the Gulf Cup.
Qatar’s 3-1 victory put them one step closer to a possible third title in the tournament, the symbol of regional supremacy and pride in football. And with a cracking final clash looming against Asian giants Saudi Arabia tomorrow, Belmadi was looking forward to a repeat performance from his boys.
“We won against Oman because we were the stronger of the two sides. We attacked in a sustained manner,” Belmadi said after the match at King Fahd International Stadium on Sunday.
The Algerian dismissed suggestions that Qatar won only because Oman did not play to their potential.
“Who says we won because Oman were not playing well? We were the best side and we deserved the victory,” he emphasized.
“Two days ago Oman beat Kuwait 5-0 but we were strong with our
attacking game,” Belmadi said.
The coach, in fact, went on to add that Qatar could have won by an even better margin had they taken all their chances.
“I would say we missed a few chances to score more goals,” he said.
“That was a disciplined show on many fronts. We were focused and
hungry to win,” Belmadi said.
Belmadi, who took over the reins of the team from Fahd Thani earlier this year, added that he would use the same attacking strategy against Saudi Arabia in the final.
“It was important to reach the final and we have done that. I love the
attacking game. That’s how you succeed.” .
Belmadi also came in for fulsome praise from Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani.
“We have achieved our goal of reaching the final and it has a lot to
do with the way the coach planned for this game. Belmadi conducted his planning really well,” QFA President said.
“We wanted to play one game at a time and we have done well. God Willing we will go all the way.”
The QFA President said Qatar’s players need to remain focused and give their best in the final.
“The key to winning any final is determination and focus. Saudi Arabia are one of the best teams in Asia, but Qatar has the ability to beat anyone on their day. I request the fans in Qatar to get behind their team for this crucial encounter.”
Meanwhile, Qatar defender Ibrahim Majid said his team thoroughly deserved to win their semi-final clash against Oman.
“We were a little jittery at the start but we stuck to our guns,” Ibrahim said after the match.
“We deserved to win and I pray that we play with heart in the final also so that we bring back the Cup.”
He admitted that Qatar had lost their way a bit in the early part of the match, thus allowing Oman to take the lead and dictate terms.
“We lost a bit of focus and allowed Oman to take the lead but we fought with great resilience to score three goals and win the game,” he said.
“There is no doubt that the task in the final will not be easy, but we
will do everything in our power to win and delight our fans,” he said
The hero of Qatar’s win, Ali Asadalla, expressed confidence the team would come back with the Gulf Cup.
“We deserved to reach the final but the job is not done yet,” he said. “We have an important game on Wednesday and hopefully we will be the champions this time.”
On the team’s inefficiency in front of the goal in the previous matches, Asadalla said Qatar struggled to break the defensive-minded set-up of both Bahrain and Yemen in the group phase.
“In a way, Oman’s attacking style also helped us attack them,” he added.
