Qatar’s young footballers can hold their heads high despite crashing out of the AFC U23 Championship at the semi-final stage on Tuesday.
Two late goals by South Korea put paid to Felix Sanchez’s side’s hopes of earning a crack at the continental title, the result also prolonging their wait to find out if they qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro later this year.
By virtue of being the hosts of the tournament, Qatar had the advantage of playing in front of their home fans, but on the flip side it also added to the pressure on them. A flop show in home conditions would have certainly raised eyebrows especially considering the fact that a few players from this side were expected to be at the peak of their careers and tipped to don the country’s colours when it hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As it turned out, Qatar’s performance earned accolades from virtually everybody involved with the tournament. They played thrilling football to reach the knockouts with an all-win record in the group stage with skipper Abdelkarim Hassan, Ahmed Alaeddin and Akram Afif producing some brilliant individual performances.
In the quarter-finals, Qatar came from behind to edge a dogged North Korea before they ran into South Korea, one of the giants of Asian football.
Qatar had their chances in the match, but a couple of defending errors allowed the South Koreans to break free in the final moments to seal victory.
The Al Annabi will now meet Iraq tomorrow hoping to secure the third spot in the tournament which will still be good enough to put them in the Olympics.
Coach Sanchez was philosophical after the defeat: “I think in all the games the players showed team spirit,” he said. “It’s very important to play in these kind of competitions and in the next game they will try their best to perform well and have a good result.”
The tournament has so far produced exciting football and fans can expect much more of it when Qatar take on Iraq tomorrow, with the winners going through to the Olympics.
On Saturday, Japan meet South Korea in a battle for supremacy between the two Asian football giants. Considering the rivalry that defines sporting and political ties between the two neighbours, it will be a match no football fan can afford to miss.