Basra, January 16 (QNA) – Despite losing 1-2 in the semi-finals of the Arabian Gulf Cup (Gulf 25), Portuguese Bruno Miguel Pinheiro, coach of the Qatari national team, expressed his complete satisfaction with the performance of the players in today’s match against Iraq.
In a statement today during the post-match press conference, the coach described today’s match as competitive, saying that players may have been affected by fatigue to certain extent as a result of the pressure of the matches, noting the great gains made through their presence in this edition. “We appeared well during the four matches we played,” he said.
He added that they were able to achieve the vision of the Qatar Football Association by making the most of participating in this tournament with some young players. Gaining experience was important for them, especially since there are many players who have never played in this high level of matches as well as the short time interval between one match and another, he said.
Pinheiro noted that the Iraqi team played a good game and succeeded in taking advantage of the opportunities they had and maintained the score in the second half.
Pinheiro concluded his remarks by wishing Iraq success with a wonderful conclusion to this tournament, and thanked the Iraqi fans for the great support, welcome and hospitality they provided during the tournament.
(QNA)