Doha, November 14 (QNA) – Qatar National Team has embarked on a glorious football journey over years to finally reach the historic moment and appear for the first time in the FIFA World.
Al Adaam toured the world to benefit from the experiences of various teams to be fully ready for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which is hosted in the Arab world and the Middle East for the first time in history.
The national team took part in every competition in all continents in accordance with a well-studied preparation program set up by officials and in coordination with technical experts in order for the players to reach a level comparable to first ranks teams in the world of football. The main objective of this program was not aimed at achieving results, rather raising the technical level and providing competitive experiences to bridge the gap that has long separated Asian teams from their counterparts, especially in Europe and South America.
Qatar national team has gone through many great and bright stations, and with each success there was a confirmation on the possibility of fulfilling their dream.
Al Adaam’s journey began in June 2017 with Spanish coach Felix Sanchez, who was not well-known in the world of training at the time, who took over the team succeeding Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, who was an expert in Qatari football. Sanchez focused mainly on a group of young players who made wonderful achievements, whether by winning the AFC U19 Cup in Myanmar in 2014 or reaching the U20 World Cup finals in New Zealand.
Perhaps this explains why Sanchez was called to coach the first team, as he had trained the youth team in 2013 and led them to significant achievements at the continental level. Sanchez also has worked in Aspire Academy since 2006 and knew most of the players before he took the big move and created a new squad that brings together young players and elite players, with the main goal has been always preparing for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The last two matches in the Asian qualifiers for Russia World Cup against Syria and China were perhaps the real kickstart after the new changes in the national squad and new names began to be highlighted in the teams formations.
The preparation program included two views that went in parallel. The first was to prepare for the competitive stages, while and the second was to take into account that the main purpose which is to prepare for the 2022 World Cup. Accordingly, Qatar Football Association, in coordination with the team management, began providing friendly preparatory matches during the breaks listed on the FIFA agenda, in preparation for the next event at the time, the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
The first fruits of the projects success began when the Qatari team left for the UAE for the finals with a significant number of players participating in the Asian Championship for the first time. The national team achieved the first continental win.
Al Adaam began the continental competition by defeating Lebanon (2-0), then achieving a broad victory over North Korea (6-0).
The team then defeated the Saudi team (2-0) to lead the group. The Qatari team continued its victories, bypassing Iraq in the round of 16 (1-0), then South Korea in the quarter-finals (1-0), and the UAE (4-0), to reach the final against Japan and win the title (3-1), spreading the joy of the first historic achievement.
The amazing numbers achieved by Qatar national team in the Asian Cup were the result of winning the seven matches and scoring 19 goals against receiving one goal.
Player Al Moez Ali was awarded as “Top Goalscorer” of the 2019 Asian Nations Cup with 9 goals, a record in the Asian championship, surpassing Ali Daei, the Iranian football player and top scorer of the 1996 Asian Nations. Meanwhile, Akram Afif was voted “Man-of-the-Match”, and Saad Al Sheeb named the “Best Goalkeeper”.
After winning the Asian Cup title, the Qatari team became the focus of attention and the hero of the Asian continent with stars and coach that are highly admired and appreciated. The team gained a global value with the huge leap in the FIFA’s ranks issued in February 2019, moving up 38 places, from 93rd to 55th.
Winning the title opened new prospects for preparation path, as the national team gained the confidence to enter other international challenges. After the continental crowning, the team did not fear the invitation made by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to take part in the 46th edition of the Copa America hosted by Brazil in June and July 2019.
Qatar Football Association was invited in April 2018 on the side of the 68th edition of the Latin Congress in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. Al Adaam joined the Japanese national team and the 12 teams participating in the tournament, which is the oldest in the world.
The experience in Copa America was rich and achieved the desired goals. The Qatari team was placed in Group B, along with Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay, which have a great history. Qatar drew with Paraguay 2-2 and was very close to winning before losing to Colombia and Argentina 0-1 and 0-2, respectively.
The Qatari team faced a difficult period in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly hindered its preparation program, as the pandemic delayed Copa America, scheduled 2020 to be postponed to 2021. However, the postponement forced the Qatar Federation and the National Teams Committee to change plans and apologize for their inability to participate in that edition.
Despite the great challenges imposed by the pandemic, the preparations returned to normal, with the team coached by Felix Sanchez qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup qualifying rounds integrated with the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers, before participating in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup held in the US at the invitation of the Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
The appearance of the Qatari team in the Gold Cup was different from the positive effects left by its previous participations, especially the Copa America, which provided high levels of support that reflected the remarkable development of the team, reaching the semi-finals, and was in the cusp of playing in the final with the first participation of an Arab team in the tournament, and the second participation of an Asian team after South Korea, which participated in the 2000 and 2002 editions.
The Qatari team’s march in the competition was embodied by crossing first to the quarter-finals, leading Group D with seven points, which it collected from two wins, against Grenada 4-0 and Honduras 2-0, and a draw in the opening against Panama 3-3, before crossing to the semi-finals winning against El Salvador 3-2. In the semi-finals, Qatar lost against the US with a clear goal, after a misfortune miss in the penalty kicks by captain Hasan Al Haydos.
Despite its loss, the Qatari team gained the respect of everyone in the tournament, especially as it set a record of being the most guest to score goals tournament in one edition of the Gold Cup with 12 goals, breaking the previous record held by Brazil with 10 goals in the 1996 edition.
The top scorer of the national team and Asia Al Moez Ali was also crowned the Gold Cup top scorer, scoring four goals, becoming the first player in history to be crowned top scorer in two continents, after also winning the title in the 2019 Asian Cup. Additionally, he scored another glory after becoming the only person that scored in three continental tournaments, after previously scoring in the 2019 Copa America.
The Qatari team was not satisfied with the two American experiences, it went through a unique European experience that may not be possible for any team in the world, by participating in Group A of the European qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as a legal entity without calculating the results, after an invitation received by the Qatar Federation from its counterpart European.
The competition was strong, especially since the group included great teams such as Portugal, the 2016 European champion, Serbia, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Azerbaijan. Although the competitions were distributed over a space of time that extended from March to November 2021, the schedule was packed. The team played three matches with a break of no more than nine days.
The results were not a priority, but the experience, friction, and benefit of teams including leading teams in Europe were. Despite that, the Qatari team scored a perfect start by defeating Luxembourg and Azerbaijan and drawing with Ireland, before the matches became more difficult.
The Qatari team had two wins, three draws, and five losses, including four against the Serbian and Portuguese teams (home and away), and Ireland (away), but the benefits that the Qatari team reaped were many and great, especially in its journey to prepare for the World Cup.
Despite the great diversity in the preparation program for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar national team did not have the change to meet with African teams until the Arab FIFA Cup Qatar 2021, which represented a rehearsal for the World Cup.
Al Adaam recorded a strong presence, especially as he entered the competition as one of the candidates for the title of the tournament, which was held under the umbrella of FIFA. The team started its competitions by defeating the Bahraini team (1-0) in the first group, then defeated the Omani team (2-1) and the Iraqi counterpart (3-0).
In the quarter-finals, the Qatari team defeated the UAE team (5-0), to reach the semi-finals which he lost to the Algerian team (1- 2). However it managed to get the bronze medal in the tournament after defeating the Egyptian team on penalties (5-4).
After the Arab Cup, the international players returned to the clubs and completed the last season, locally and continentally, before taking a long rest period after a strenuous journey and they played many official tournaments and friendly matches. According to the preparation program, international players were exempted from participating with their clubs in the first seven rounds of Qatar QNB Stars League, but since June, they have entered different preparation periods through European camps.
Since June 2022, the Qatari team has been in camp in the Spanish city of Marbella, to physically rehabilitate the players after the long period of rest after the end of last season, which was nearly a month. The next stage was in July, in another camp in Austria.
It was interspersed with unofficial friendly matches with European clubs, as it drew with Antwerp of Belgium with two goals and with Real Mallorca of Spain negatively, then faced Italian clubs, and beat Udinese with two 2 -1, drew with Lazio and Fiorentina negatively and beat Spanish Cultural Deportivo Leonesa 3-0.
Preparations continued with a new camp in Austria in August. During which the Qatari team played a friendly four-way tournament with Ghana, Jamaica and Morocco. He beat Ghana 2-1, drew with Morocco by 2 and with Jamaica by 1. It played again with two clubs from Slovakia, Partizan Domaniza and Samorin and won the two matches 2-0 and 3-0, respectively.
The Qatari team invested the official pause period listed on the FIFA’s agenda last September to undergo strong tests. As it met with the Canadian national team and lost 2-0, then faced the Chile team and drew with two goals.
Al Adaam entered the final stage of preparation in a local camp in early October in Doha, which lasted for five days, before returning to the Spanish city of Marbella to take several unofficial tests, as there was no actual stopping period by the International Federation for the month of October. It played five matches in which it won them all; as it defeated Honduras and Albania 1-0, overtook Nicaragua and Panama 2-1 in both, and Guatemala 2-0.
The Qatari team’s mission returned to Doha on Monday, where coach Felix Sanchez will put the final touches to preparation before the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, against the Ecuadorean team in the opening match at Al Bayt Stadium in the first group competitions that includes Senegal and the Netherlands.
Sanchez had announced the final list of 26 players to participate in the World Cup, where all the basic pillars that the coach had always relied on were present.
The list came as follows: Goalkeepers: Saad Al-Sheeb, Mishaal Barshim (Al-Sadd) and Youssef Hassan (Al-Gharafa).
Defense: Pedro Miguel, Musab Khader, Tariq Salman, Boualem Khoukhi, Abdul Karim Hassan (Al Sadd), Bassam Al Rawi, Ismail Mohamed (Al Duhail), Hammam Al Amin ( Al Gharafa) and Jassim Jaber ( Al Arabi).
The middle: Mustafa Tariq, Ali Asad, Muhammad Waad, Salem Al-Hajri, Hassan Al-Haydous (Al-Sadd), Karim Boudiaf, Assem Madbo (Al-Duhail), Abdulaziz Hatem, Nayef Al-Hadrami (Al-Rayyan) and Khaled Mounir (Al-Wakra).
Forwards: Ahmed Alaaeldin (Al Gharafa), Akram Afif (Al Sadd), Almoez Ali and Mohamed Muntari (Al Duhail).
The preparation journey, which actually started in June of 2017, lasted for more than 5 years and included many competitive and preparatory stations, with the aim of writing history in its first participation in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. If achieved, this preparation will be a role model for those aspiring to a different path, and shortening the distances.
Spaniard coach Felix Sanchez is waiting for the Qatari team to appear in the way he desires in the first World Cup to record the presence of Qatari football throughout history.
A group of names appear in the squad of coach Sanchez, who maintained the basic strength that made the joy and gifted Qatar the first Asian Cup in UAE in 2019.
There is no doubt that the Qatari national team’s coach wanted to keep as many basic players as possible in the World Cup list, given the great experience they obtained over the past years.
Despite reaching the age of 31, Hassan Al Haydos managed to secure a place in Sanchez’s starting lineup, whether during the previous friendly matches that the team played in Vienna and Marbella camps, or in the continental tournaments that they played in Europe, CONCACAF and Copa America.
The captain of the Qatari national team was present in more than one place throughout the last stage, according to the technical vision that Sanchez needed, whether as a pivotal player in the middle of the field or in the center of the right wing. Al Haydos managed to score many match-winning goals, which affirms that he is a candidate to be the captain of the national team in their first World Cup match they will play on Nov. 20 at Al Bayt Stadium.
Al Haydos, who began his career with the Qatari national team 14 years ago at the age of 17 gained many experiences throughout the previous preparation period and is well aware that his entry into history will be completed when he contributes to making a new achievement in the first World Cup in the country.
The Qatari team consists many players who left great mark over the past years, including Asim Madbo, one of the most important players who made a great addition to the center of the Asian champion. The 26-year-old was able to write his name in the list of the most prominent midfield players in the Qatar football.
Al-Duhail midfield player was one of those who contributed to winning the Asian Cup, as well as to the continental tournaments in which Al Adaam participated, especially the Copa America, when Madbo stopped many great players and faced the stars of the Brazilian and Argentine teams.
This earned him great experience that will enable him to play the World Cup matches with great confidence when he will play against teams such as the Netherlands, Senegal and Ecuador.
The midfield in the Qatari national team consists many names, including Abdulaziz Hatem, one of the main players in Sanchez’s squad, along with Karim Boudiaf, who has been in the national team squad for the past years. Al Duhail midfielder is one of the options which the Qatari national team coach depends on to change the style of play and transformations, in addition to his success in performing the special tasks entrusted to him.
Regarding the players who had the most impact on the performance of the Qatari team, there is the 28-year-old left-back Abdelkarim Hassan, whose level has risen remarkably in recent years and played an active role in achieving the 2019 AFC Asian Cup title.
The Aspire Academy graduate did not limit himself to the left-back position and succeeded on more than one occasion to have additional tasks according to Sanchez’s vision, who tried to involve him in the center-back. Abdelkarim Hassan gained great experiences, whether with his team Al Sadd or in the professional experience he had in Belgium with the Eupen team.
The Spanish coach’s concerns for the Qatari team have always been based on the defensive organization, so he preferred to preserve the most prominent names that have gained great experience in continental events. Boualem Khoukhi is one of the most important players who will give strength to the defense of the Asian champion, especially that the Qatari team will face the world’s most prominent strikers, especially in the Dutch and Senegalese teams.
On the front lines, 25-year-old Akram Afif will lead Al Adam strike, as he has high skill and the ability to change directions of play. He has succeeded in being the best player in the Qatari league in the past seasons and has competed with many professionals and scorers.
Afif made himself an immortal glamor and became one of the best strikers who played in the Qatari national team. The experience of playing in Europe helped him after he went through many experiences in Spanish Villarreal in 2016 and Sporting Gijon, as well as for Sevilla’s youth teams. He received many offers, but he preferred to stay at Al Sadd Club. Afif knows very well that playing in the World Cup is different from all previous tournaments, a dream he had since childhood.
The best player in Asia in 2019 wants to be one of the joy makers for the Qatari fans and lead his country to a great achievement by crossing the group stage and painting an image that will remain immortal for a long time.
He is good at playing in the left-back and right-back positions, and even a spearhead at times, thanks to his outstanding individual performance and the ability to score half chances.
The Qatari team’s offensive line has the top scorer Almoez Ali, who was able to immortalize his name in the history of the Asian continent and surpassed the Iranian football player Ali Daei in the 2019 Asian Cup.
Great hopes are count on Almoez, who made his first appearance with the national team under the leadership of Uruguayan coach Daniel Carreno in August 2016, when he was 20 years old.
The striker, whose local brilliance has been associated with Al Duhail, has many advantages that can nominate him for the World Cup brilliance, after he gained great experience during international participation and preparatory matches. Undoubtedly, Sanchez has an adequate vision for the tasks that he will give to the team’s top scorer in the World Cup matches. (QNA)