Atmosphere in Qatar camp is wonderful, says Hassan

Defender Abdelkarim Hassan says there is a sense of excitement in the Qatar camp as they await eagerly to make their historic World Cup debut. The hosts kick off the World Cup against Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, with Hassan and his teammates set to realise their childhood dreams.
“Everyone is excited and the atmosphere in the team is wonderful,” said Hassan, as the Qatar squad continued training at the Aspire training pitch yesterday. “We are eagerly waiting for the referee’s kick off whistle for the Ecuador match. Every member of the squad is looking forward to contributing and playing his role for the team. We are targeting a good performance in front of our home fans,” he added.
Ever since joining the Aspire Academy at 13 years old, Hassan and many of his teammates have dreamt playing at the World Cup. The 29-year-old – a pivotal player in Qatar’s maiden Asian Cup triumph in 2019 – said the team is well prepared and ready to put their best foot forward.
“It’s a dream of every player to play the World Cup for his country. Like everyone it was my childhood dream too and I am proud to be a part of Qatar squad in our historic participation. I am looking forward to doing a lot at this World Cup, help my team achieve its goals,” Hassan said.
“Our training camps were highly beneficial. The friendly games during these camps gave us good match practice as well. The technical staff deserves the praise as they worked very hard to prepare us for the tournament,” he added.
Voted Asia’s Best Player in 2018, Hassan will be key to Qatar’s hopes of making it to the knockout stage as the left-back can also chip in with crucial goals. The Al Sadd Star – known as ‘Kimo’ to friends and teammates – is aware though it won’t be easy against Group A opponents the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.
“Without any doubt, the task is not easy. It’s a World Cup and all the teams are coming well prepared, so we need to double our effort. We are hoping for a performance like that in Asian Cup and bring smiles on the faces of our fans at the World Cup,” said Hassan, who has appeared 130 times for Qatar and scored 15 goals.