Three matches. Zero points. Currently at the bottom of the standings. Qatar’s 2018 World Cup campaign hasn’t taken off yet.  Today they take on Syria in their fourth match looking to finally kickstart their ‘Road to Russia’ dream.
And this match would be just about the right time to get those precious points and give some wings to that dream of qualifying for the World Cup. Out of the six-team Group A, two teams earn direct qualification and the third-placed team will qualify for the play-off round.
Qatar have so far lost to Iran and South Korea – the two Asian powerhouses expected to earn direct qualification. But it was their shock 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan that put a huge spanner in the works.
In their last match against South Korea, under new coach Jorge Fossati, Qatar showed a lot of fighting spirit and were leading at the half-way mark. But two goals in two minutes, at the start of the second half, changed the complexion of the game from which Qatar never recovered. Fossati wants Qatar to play like they did against Korea – barring those sketchy 15 minutes.
“If we analyse the last game, the first 15 minutes of the second half were the only bad phase that Qatar had during the entire match. The other 75 minutes, considering the quality of the opponents, was the best performance by the Qatar team so far,” said Fossati yesterday.
“The team started the second half thinking about keeping that partial result we had. We cannot go into the second half with that kind of focus. It happens subconsciously and that’s what I had a talk with the players about,” he added.
The Uruguayan believes that if the Qatar players exhibit the right mentality, they will end up winners today. “There are technical and tactical details but the most important will be the mentality. The target will be to focus only on the game and not on the table. And if we play well we can win this game,” he stressed.
The focus on the table is evident, inescapable almost because of the dire circumstances that the home team finds itself in. But Fossati believes that with 21 points still on offer, Qatar still has a strong chance to qualify for the finals.
“It’s not true that this match is the last opportunity for us. Everybody has seven games left. Even if we win against Syria, nothing is certain. It might look like it’s impossible but I believe that only in next 3-4 games, the scenario will become clear,” said Fossati.
Syria, meanwhile, have been upsetting the odds in this qualifying campaign. They have secured an impressive 1-0 win against China in their last match and have four points from their three matches so far. The visitors have an extremely solid defence, having conceded just one goal in three matches so far. And they will be looking to park the bus against Qatar too and go on the counter at every available opportunity.
Fossati accepted that it will be a tough match for his team. “We will be facing a tough opponent. Their results speak about their performance. They play physical football. But we will do our best to play our style of football. I believe our players have the quality to achieve a win,” said the experienced veteran coach.
When asked about his strategy for the next game, the 63-year-old quipped: “Football has always had two posts. One you need to defend and the other you need to attack. And the team who does that well, wins.”
Syria coach Ayman al-Hakeem is hoping for another committed, defensive performance from his boys. “We know Qatar like to go on the attack a lot. There will be pressure but for us that’s a constant factor because we’re always playing away from home. We’re overcoming the difficulties with our high morale and team spirit,” he said.
While it’s still early days, Syria do have an outside chance to qualify and considering the trouble back home, that would be a remarkable story. “It would be a historic achievement. We don’t have a complete picture yet, but it’ll be a great achievement for us if we overcome all these obstacles and earn qualification,” added al-Hakeem.
Fossati will be hoping to find that chink in the armour and get that all-important elusive win. And for that he wants his players to forget the past and give it all in this game. “I understand the nervousness about the results. But we need to focus only on the game, not think about the past, not think about the standings. I believe we can win,” said Fossati. Qatar supporters will be hoping his words come true today.