Qatari players are upbeat about their chances of qualifying for the final of the AFC U23 Championship ahead of their semi-final encounter against giant-killers Vietnam tomorrow.
All players took part in a training session yesterday, many of them with their faces covered, in bitterly cold and windy conditions prevailing in the prefecture-level city of Changzhou in China’s southern Jiangsu province.
Playing fearless football Qatar have won all their matches in the tournament so far, raising the expectations of fans who are hoping for a title, especially after the disappointment of the Gulf Cup where the senior team were eliminated ahead of the semi-final stage.
Almoez Ali, who has been the star performer of the tournament with goals against three of the four teams Qatar have faced so far, has urged his teammates to focus on tomorrow’s match.
“It’s important that we are in the semi-finals but all our efforts will go to waste if we don’t beat Vietnam in the semis,” the striker said.
Almoez has scored five goals so far, including two against Palestine in the quarter-finals, but the Al Duhail player said nothing less than a title would satisfy him.
“It is amazing that I was able to score two goals (against Palestine) but we must continue working hard if we are to win the title.
“I hope I can continue to keep scoring and get more goals, and that my team keeps on winning until the end of the tournament. I hope we can win the title,” he added.
Ahmed Moein, another rising Qatari, added that Vietnam showed their class by beating Australia and Iraq and therefore should not be taking lightly.
“Vietnam played very well against teams such as Iraq, Australia and Syria and they will be a challenge for us, surely,” said Moein.
“But we should be careful and not make the kind of defensive mistakes we made against Palestine in the semi-finals which allowed them to score two goals against us,” he added.
Moein said there was complete harmony among the players and this factor would see them through to the final.
“God willing, we will play with a high level of concentration against Vietnam and will follow the coach’s (Felix Sanchez) instructions hundred percent.”
Meanwhile, Vietnam coach Park Hang-Seo insists his players have proven their ability against Asia’s elite after reaching the semi-finals.
Vietnam defeated former champions Iraq 5-3 on penalties after an extraordinary 120 minutes of action ended in a 3-3 draw that saw the lead change three times before Park’s players advanced via the shootout.
The win highlighted the progress being made by the Vietnamese, who saw off Australia in the group phase before defeating a nation that won the first edition of the competition and who went on to finish third – and qualify for the Olympic Games – in 2016.
“I have total confidence in my players, and they proved their capabilities today,” he said. “Even on the physical side they were equal to our opponents (Iraq).
 “In attack, we played very well with two strikers and maybe I will use the same strategy in the next match.”