(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar will go for the same attacking game it employed against Colombia in their FIFA U-20 World Cup opener, team captain Ahmad Moein said ahead of his team's next two matches this week.
Despite trailing 1-0 after the first half on Sunday, Qatar's aggressive tactics saw them stitch a series of attacks in the second half that won praise from Colombia coach Carlos Alberto Restrepo.
Moein, who guided his troops with flair from the midfield in the Group C clash played under lights at Waikato Stadium, said his team was ready for the "tough games".
"Right now we are looking at our next matches. We have to win those games as Portugal and Senegal are not easy sides," Moein said ahead of his team's training session at Porrit Stadium yesterday.
"We will play aggressively like we did against Colombia, especially in the second half," the 19-year-old midfielder said. "First half was not bad, but in the second half, we tried harder and fought well.
"I would say we didn't have luck on our side. A bit of luck and we could have scored in the second half," the Qatari captain.
Qatar take on Portugal on June 3 followed by a clash against Senegal on June 6. Both games will be played at Waikato Stadium.
"The game against Colombia was difficult for our young players," Moein said. "Colombia finished second best in South America to reach the World Cup," he added.
"In our next games, we will do everything in our power to get wins," the
skipper said. "We will work hard on the pitch. Let's see what happens," he said.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez echoed Moein's sentiments.
"My players performed at a high level. They tried hard and were up against a powerful team, one of the strongest at this event," Sanchez said yesterday.
"We will analyse our strengths and weaknesses. We have (at least) two more games still to go and we will try to show the best of our abilities," he added.
"We know that this is a great tournament with some very strong
opponents, but with the attitude we displayed today, I'm sure we'll come away with something. We're not going to give in," Sanchez said.
"All of them (Colombian players) play at a good level. The problem for us we had 11 players up front where there was a quality opposition," Sanchez said when asked about his rival team on Sunday.
"Of course you cannot perform at the same level always. They (Qatar players) tried hard against a top team.
"In the second half, we had good chances and unfortunately we couldn't score. Of course, in general we played better in second half," Sanchez said.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.