AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023: Qatar Squad Players Affirm Importance of Victory over Lebanon

Qatari football team

Players of Qatari football team stressed the importance of the 3-0 victory achieved Friday over Lebanon in the opening match of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

Team Qatar top scorer Almoez Ali said that the first mission in the tournament was completed successfully, praising the performance of all the players.

He stressed that the beginning was ideal, and the team appeared well and achieved an important victory with three unanswered goals. This is a very important matter for the players who are required to think about the next match that will be held in five days, and to prepare optimally for the next step, he stressed.

It is true that the Qatari fans expect a lot from the team in order to defend the title, but at the same time "we realize that we have to make a great effort and proceed on step at a time," Almoez added.
Ismael Mohammed said that the Qatari team made an important victory at the beginning of the competition, which is an incentive towards a long and difficult journey, pointing out that the victory was not easy as the Lebanese team put a good performance well, especially in the first half.

Jassim Jaber stressed that the victory at the beginning of the journey is an important step towards completing the tournament, indicating that fears are usually great in the opening matches, which often do not go as expected. The team performed well in front of large crowds who supported them throughout the match, and the players are looking forward to proceeding towards achieving the initial goal of reaching the next round. The team must focus on the next match in order to achieve victory, and deal with the competition according to the logic of each match, without anticipating events, he said.

Captain of the Lebanese team Hassan Maatouq, highlighted that he and his teammates knew that they would face great difficulties against the Qatari national team, the defending champions, who played among their fans. He apologized to the Lebanese fans, stressing that the team performed well overall, especially in the first half. The last minute goal changed the odds, he said.

(QNA)