Lopetegui urges Qatar put Palestine defeat at bay to correct course against Syria
DOHA: Qatar head coach Julen Lopetegui has urged his players to look past the defeat against Palestine and focus on correcting the course against Syria to keep their chances of advancing alive.
Sultan Al-Brake’s attempted clearance ended up in his own net as the hosts suffered an upset against a resilient Palestine side at the Al Bayt Stadium on Monday.
It was Palestine’s first win over the Maroons in over two decades and Qatar’s fourth in eight official matches under the Spanish head coach.
“It’s true that we have now lost one possibility,” the Spaniard said ahead of the Syria tie on Thursday. “I think that although we did well against Palestine, it was not enough. And now, we’ll have to put the focus on the next big challenge that we have.”
Led by fellow Spaniard Jose Lana, Syria could prove to be a tough nut to crack for a Qatari side that failed to create quality chances against an organised defence on the opening day.
On the contrary, the Syrian side will come to the clash with better momentum after downing Tunisia to cause another major upset in Group A. Omar Kharbin’s 48th-minute free-kick proved to be the winner as Lana’s side held up well to a Tunisian side that controlled the match.
“We’ll have to do a lot of good work in both the defensive and offensive phases against Syria,” Lopetegui said, acknowledging that their opponent’s momentum that started with a convincing 2-0 win against South Sudan in the qualifiers, will be a hurdle.
“Each match in this competition is very, very balanced. You have to put great importance on the little details. Because they make the difference, we’ll have to try and focus on that.”
In what turned out to be a physically and tactically draining affair against Palestine, Lopetegui chose a rather young line-up, which he said could be the case in the next game too.
Qatar will now be without another experienced campaigner, Assim Madibo, for the rest of the competition as the midfielder limped off the pitch at the stroke of the half-hour mark on Monday. Lopetegui asserted that despite it being a significant loss, the squad is capable of filling the gap.
“Unfortunately for us, we had many injuries before our camp. Now, he [Madibo] is also out for the rest of the tournament. These things are not under our control,” the former Spain head coach added.
“He is a very important player for us. But now, he is not going to be on the pitch. Other players have the opportunity, other players have my trust. And they have to show that we can work as a team.
“For sure, a lot of big names are out. But the players that are here are ready to do well. They are ready to be able to build one strong team. And this is the thing that we have to think [against Syria].”
Senior players of the squad, who have shared a “good achievement” together, are ready to assume a significant chunk of responsibility in steadying the ship, added midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem.
“I think I have a role to play [as a senior player],” Hatem said.
“We lost, of course, but we were not that bad. We had good moments. If we focused more on the last moments of the match, we would have drawn.”
While the mood in the dressing room the day after the shocking defeat was that of despair, he echoed Lopetegui’s sentiment, stressing the need to move on.
“The day after the match, we were sad and a bit frustrated, but we have turned the page now,” he added.
“We will focus on the next team and see what we can correct and what we can do. We are used to playing under pressure, and we would rather play under pressure.”
