Focused Qatar Seek More Goals from Clash Against North Korea Coach Sanchez Says Team Will Stick to Their Own Style of Play
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Nadal to unleash brand new serve at Australian Open PAGE 18 SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2019 Rohit’s ton goes in vain as India lose to ASIAN CUP 2019 PAGE 19 Australia’s in first ODI at Sydney QATAR VS NORTH KOREA (3 PM) Focused Qatar seek more goals from clash against North Korea Coach Sanchez says team will stick to their own style of play AFC AL AIN QATAR coach Felix Sanchez has stressed his team will not be changing their style of play when they take on DPR Korea in their next Group E clash in Al Ain on Sunday despite struggling to turn their domi- nance into goals when they met Lebanon last Wednesday. Sanchez’s side eventually secured a 2-0 win over the West Asian side with goals from Ab- dulaziz Hatem and Almoez Ali, but they had to wait to break down Miodrag Radulovic’s well-drilled Lebanese side. The Spanish coach, though, praised his team’s pa- tient approach and has no in- tention of a different approach when they take on DPR Korea, with victory almost certain to take the Qataris into the next phase of the competition. “Each match is different and we cannot renounce the way we play,” said Sanchez. “It’s difficult to change now, but we need to find solu- tions to be more close to the opposition’s goal. “But in front you always have an opponent and Leba- non showed they’re a well or- ganised team and they were Qatar players during their training session in Al Ain on Saturday, ahead of the Group E match against DPR Korea in the Asian Cup 2019. Qatar beat Lebanon 2-0 in their opening match. very physical. This was the first game and it’s never easy for the young forward’s loss. to do the right thing all the “I can say that without him time in the first game. there will be some effect but “But the team showed I don’t think it will be too big they were patient enough and, Each match is because we have some good hopefully, in the next game different and we players like our captain, Jong we will perform better and do cannot renounce the Il-gwan, and Pak Kwang Ry- something that we couldn’t do ong, who plays in Austria, so I in the last game.” way we play. But we don’t think there will be a big Sanchez refused to discuss need to find effect for the second match,” whether 2018 AFC Player of solutions to be said Kim. the Year Abdelkarim Hassan more close to the “Our primary target in this would start against DPR Korea opposition’s goal. tournament is to qualify for having been left on the bench the next round, so for the last for the first hour of the open- Qatar coach three days we have focused in ing game before being intro- Felix Sanchez training on the mistakes we duced to great effect. made in the first game. We’ve Qatar laboured until the been training for three days Al Sadd man replaced Ab- Players of DPR Korea warm up for a training session. and we’re ready for the game. dulkarim Salem and his pres- “In the first game we fo- ence inspired the team to points with Saudi Arabia at the back of the net could be a ranking, so for that reason “We know it’s going to be the game without suspended cused more on defence than score twice in 14 minutes as the top of Group E but, with factor in determining the final when we play the game we’re a very tough opponent and striker Han Kwang-song after attacking and we didn’t cre- the country picked up their the Saudis scoring four unan- outcome of the group. going to try to be focused and we are going to play a very he was sent off in the loss to ate many goal scoring chances first win in an AFC Asian Cup swered goals against DPR Ko- “We’re focusing game-by- perform during the 90 min- good game tomorrow to get Saudi Arabia, but coach Kim and to overcome this we’ll be opener since 1980. rea, Sanchez knows the num- game and goal difference can utes so we can get the best re- the result.” Yong-jun is confident he has playing more offensively than The win left Qatar level on ber of times his team finds make the difference in the sult for us,” he said. DPR Korea will go into enough quality to compensate we did in the last match.” Qatar aim to bounce back to winning ways against Egypt at handball Worlds The result left Qatar’s than us in almost every aspect Coach Riveira calls head coach Valero Riveira of the game. All we can do is fuming. He said the loss was look forward to the next match for improved show a result of huge mistakes that and forget that this game,” everyone should assume said Riveira. against Egypt responsibility for. Wajdi Sinen agreed with Speaking at the press his coach, saying, “Today was TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK conference after the match, really not our day. Angola beat DOHA he praised Angola’s play and us because they were good and said they were smart and bal- we weren’t. ASIAN champions and 2015 anced in how they “Hopefully we will do bet- world championships runners- approached the game. ter in our next game against up Qatar will look to make He added that their op- Egypt,” he added. amends and bounce back to ponents was ruthless when it Sweden, Argentina and winning ways at the 16th IHF mattered more, stressing that Hungary are the other teams Men’s Handball Champion- there were no excuses for the in Qatar’s bracket of Group D. ship when they meet Egypt in Qatari side to lose the game. Qatar’s Rafael Capote and their second match of Group D He said that the amount Frankis Marzo delivered well at the Royal Arena in Copen- of easy chances missed in in the opening match and the hagen on Sunday. the game were enough for team would look to follow in Qatar were edged by one their opponents to score and their footsteps against Egypt. goal in the first big surprise of achieve a better result. The match will be played the tournament caused by An- “We’ve just played the at 1.30pm Qatar time. Later, gola on Friday, as the African most horrible game in over Sweden will play Argentina in Qatar were pipped by a goal’s margin by Angola in a surprise result of the 26th IHF Men’s World Championship in Denmark on Friday. beat Asia’s number 1 side 24-23. five years. They were better a match from the same group. Sports Sunday, January 13, 2019 17 AFC ASIAN CUP 2019 Ole, Pochettino Iran beat Vietnam, Iraq face off in Man United ‘audition’ power past lowly Yemen Pochettino remains the favourite to take over the Red Devils’ job full-time AFP ment for Solskjaer is probably LONDON to qualify for next season’s Champions League – United OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has a have closed the gap signifi- golden opportunity to further cantly but are still six points his credentials for the perma- behind fourth-placed Chelsea. nent manager’s job at Man- But the former striker, chester United when he goes who has United fans’ undying head to head against Totten- loyalty after his exploits as a ham boss Mauricio Pochettino player, must see off the threat on Sunday. from Pochettino if he is to pro- The Norwegian interim long his stay at Old Trafford. manager has enjoyed a perfect start to his Old Trafford ca- Spurs trophy charge reer, winning all five matches Spurs have amassed 48 and transforming the mood points after 21 matches, just among players and fans. two behind Manchester City But in the opposite dugout and six shy of leaders Liver- at Wembley will be Pochetti- pool and are still competing no, who remains the favourite on four fronts with Champions to be named to the United hot League, FA Cup and League seat after keeping Spurs on the Cup commitments on top of a fringes of the Premier League title challenge. title race against considerable Pochettino started the sea- odds. son with two huge challenges United have beaten Car- -- no fresh signings and no diff, Huddersfield, Bourne- proper break for many of his mouth and Newcastle in the top stars after they were in- league and Reading in the FA volved in the World Cup until Iran’s forward Sardar Azmoun (centre) shoots to score during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Group D match against Vietnam at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. (AFP) Cup since Solskjaer replaced the final weekend. Jose Mourinho last month. Tottenham, who beat AFP Iran, looking to end a 43- The Rubin Kazan forward ment in the last third, are very But third-placed Totten- United 3-0 at Old Trafford ABU DHABI year title drought since last lashed in his third goal of the Results interesting.” ham in London will be a differ- earlier this season, are also winning Asian football’s most tournament from the edge of Group D In Sharjah, 18-year-old Ali ent proposition and the match still waiting to move into their IRAN sank Vietnam and Iraq coveted prize, could have the box 20 minutes from time Iran 2 Vietnam 0 scored a wonderful solo goal to will be a severe examination new stadium after months of beat Yemen as the neighbours scored four or five but for some to give Iran a record ninth suc- Iraq 3 Yemen 0 put Iraq 1-0 up after 11 minutes, of how far United have come delays.