Bassam al-Rawi’s free-kicks have played a big part in Qatar getting to the last four of the Asian Cup and even though the defender will miss their semi-final, he is certain his teammates will ensure he gets a chance to play in the final.
The 21-year-old scored Qatar’s first goal of the tournament by curling the ball over the Lebanon wall in their opening group match and secured their place in the quarter-finals with another beauty against former champions Iraq.
A second yellow card on Friday in the 1-0 win over South Korea, though, means he will miss Tuesday’s match-up against hosts the United Arab Emirates but that did nothing to take the gloss off his joy.
“I feel amazing today, I’m so happy,” he told Reuters with a huge beam on his face.
“I’m so proud of my team, everyone is happy in Qatar. Today we played an amazing game, we played like lions. We deserved to win, we deserved to go to the semi-final. It’s the first time Qatar have been to the semi-final, I’m so happy.
“We celebrated like crazy.”
Bassam’s goal in the quarter-final was particularly notable because his father played for Iraq in the 1990s.
Bassam is of Iraqi heritage but there can be no doubting where the player’s loyalties lie.
“I play for the Qatar national team and I am proud to be a part of this country, I am happy to live in Qatar and play for the team,” he added.
“I don’t care what people say about where I come from. Yes, I was born in Iraq but I moved to Qatar when I was a child, I’ve lived there ever since and I have a Qatari passport.”
Bassam said he was certain he would get the chance to play in the final and backed team mate Ali Afif’s assertion that Qatar would be taking the trophy back to Doha for the fans who have not travelled because of a political rift with the UAE.
“I won’t play in the semi-final but inshallah, I will get a chance to take a free kick in the final,” he said.
“We have players who will take my place and will do a good job and I think we will do it.
“We are a family here. If someone in the national team speaks about (winning the Cup), he speaks for all the players, and I think he is right.”
Bassam’s comments reflect the tight-knit team spirit Spanish coach Felix Sanchez has fostered in a squad in which many of the younger players have been under his guidance since childhood.
“We have worked with this coach since we were nine years old, he knows what we don’t like, what we like,” Bassam added.
“We know what he wants from us so it’s very nice. He’s like a father.”
Meanwhile, coach Sanchez said that all players produced a high level of performance that is a source of pride for all Qataris.
“It was a team effort. All the 23 players contributed to the win. The playing XI and the ones on the bench have all been working very hard,” Sanchez said.
“This is a distinguished group of players who know the meaning of winning and that team spirit gives great impact in a match of this kind,” he said.
“It was a difficult match as we found tough to keep the ball. We couldn’t create chances at the beginning.
“In the second half, we created chances and built pressure on the Koreans. When we got a chance to score, we found the net under pressure.”
The Spaniard congratulated Qatar on the team’s success.
“I congratulate the Qatari people and give them this great achievement...we are thrilled to be part of Qatar’s history-making achievement. To reach the semis makes us so happy,” Sanchez added.
“The players have shown a great deal of commitment.
“The most important thing is to understand and understand the way we play. This is not the first time we changed the way we play.
“Posting our fifth win in a row has boosted our confidence. It was a collective team effort,” he said.
Qatar’s Bassam al-Rawi (foreground) celebrates his goal during the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 match against Iraq in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. (AFP)
