Qatar newspaper calls Vietnam 'the killer of the big guys'
The Gulf Times newspaper reflects the training atmosphere and mentality of Qatari players before the confrontation with Vietnam in the semi-finals of the U23 Asian Cup.
"Qatar players are optimistic about the possibility of reaching the final of the U23 Asian Championship, before the clash with the team that specializes in destroying the big guys - Vietnam", tQatar's largest newspaper gave its opinion at the beginning of the article.
All Qatar players showed up for training on Sunday, January 21. Many had to cover their faces with scarves due to the cold weather in Changzhou, China. The 2022 World Cup hosts have won all the way through the tournament and are considered strong contenders for the title. They are the hope of Qatari fans who are looking to forget the national team's defeat in the Gulf Cup.
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Qatar players practice in cold weather in Changzhou. Photo: Gulf Times |
“Qatar have reached the semi-finals, but all our efforts will be in vain if we lose to Vietnam,” said main striker Almoez Ali. Ali has scored against three of the four teams Qatar have faced. He has five goals and is the leading scorer. “It’s great because I just scored two goals against Palestine in the quarter-finals. But Qatar need to work harder if they want to win the title. I hope to keep firing, and Qatar will beat everyone,” he said.
Qatar's rising star midfielder Ahmed Moein was more cautious when assessing the confrontation with coach Park Hang-seo and his team. "Vietnam played very well against Iraq, Syria and Australia. They will certainly make things difficult for Qatar. We have to play cautiously, avoiding defensive mistakes like in the match against Palestine (3-2 win)," he said. "We will play with a high level of concentration against Vietnam and absolutely follow the instructions of coach Felix Sanchez."
At the end of the article,Gulf Timesreview the past journey to prove that Vietnam is capable of facing the giants of the continent. They wrote: "In the group stage, Vietnam defeated Australia, then eliminated Iraq - the champion of the tournament in 2013 and third place in 2016 - in the quarter-finals".
The Vietnam - Qatar match will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, online on Nghe An Newspaper.
