Qatar's Young Players Impress Coach Sanchez with B'desh
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Bottas bounces back to edge Russell for pole position at Sakhir GP PAGE 14 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2020 Qatar’s young players impress coach Sanchez with B’desh win Qatar coach Bangladesh’s Day Felix Sanchez. positive despite defeat AFC DOHA HEAD coach Felix Sanchez praised the performance of the younger players after Qatar cruised to a 5-0 win over Bang- ladesh in Group E of the Asian Qualifiers on Friday. The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts sealed the three points thanks to a brace each from 2019 AFC Player of the Year Akram Afif and 2019 AFC Asian Bangladesh head coach Cup top scorer Almoez Ali, after Jamie Day. Abdulaziz Hatem had scored the opener. “I’m happy with the return of official matches along with the big win and the perfor- mance of the young players,” said Sanchez. “They had a good match physically and mentally. “All I wanted today (Fri- day) from the players was to give their best and have a good performance. However, we for eight months.” of Group E of the Asian Quali- could have scored more than “We were expecting to con- fiers, which serve as the quali- five goals.” cede more goals because of the fication path for both the FIFA The 44-year-old Spaniard difference in experience be- World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC said he was happy that the young tween the two teams. We learnt Asian Cup China 2023. players performed well and Bangladesh players walk across in disdain as Qatar players celebrate one of their five goals during the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualification a lesson from this defeat but As FIFA World Cup hosts, showed great concentration. match played at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Friday. despite this heavy result, there Qatar are automatic qualifiers “The players had high con- were some positives for us as we for the global showpiece, but centration in the training ses- “We controlled the match build-up, thanks to the defen- formed well despite the big conceding many goals,” he gave the chance to some young- they will confirm their place at sions and the match,” he said. right from the beginning until sive style of our opponents.” defeat. said. “I’m happy with what we sters in our team,” added Day. China 2023 as group winners, “This will give them a lot of con- the final whistle. We had good Bangladesh head coach “I’m proud with the perfor- showed despite the defeat as we The win means Qatar are or as one of the four highest- fidence for the future. concentration in our attacking Jamie Day said his side per- mance of the players, despite didn’t play any official matches now well-placed to finish on top ranked runners-up. AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 Beijing, Tokyo looking to Ulsan Hyundai aiming to stay on break new ground track against Melbourne Victory AFC AFC will concentrate on the how we play we’re a good team too. DOHA DOHA the game instead of thinking only “I think we all know it’s going to about the result. be a very different match (from the FIT, focused and fresh from a scorch- ONE of Beijing FC or FC Tokyo will “I believe if our players perform group stage), because this is like a ing group stage campaign, Ulsan become AFC Champions League very well, we have a good chance of new competition. One team stays, Hyundai FC will be chasing more quarter-finalists for the first time getting the result, and the chance one team goes. of the same when they face Austral- when they clash in the Round of 16 to qualify for the next round will be “ I think my players will be ready ia’s Melbourne Victory in the AFC at Education City Stadium at 1pm on an extra kind of motivation for our and I have confidence in the team. Champions League Round of 16 at Sunday. players. We’re not thinking about I think the team who succeeds in Education City Stadium at 5pm on Unbeaten Group E winners with anything negative like pressure, terms of the small details will win Sunday. a club record 16 points, Beijing were we’re motivated by this.” this game,” concluded Génésio. Frustrated to have narrowly one of the standout sides in the Génésio’s charges certainly ap- Alternatively, FC Tokyo’s place missed out on domestic league and group stage, but they’ll need to buck pear to be made of sterner stuff in in the last 16 wasn’t secure until the cup honours, Kim Do-hoon’s side a historical trend if they are to go any 2020 and are a side side bursting final Matchday on Thursday, with have been untouchable in Doha, win- further in the competition. with attacking options with the likes the 2019 J League runners-up secur- ning all five matches since arriving in The Chinese outfit have reached of Spanish midfielder Jonathan Vi- ing their progression with a 1-0 win the Qatari capital to register a total 16 Ulsan Hyundai FC meet Australia’s Melbourne Victory at Education City Stadium the knockout stage on three separate era playing a key role in their group over Perth Glory. points from six matches. at 5pm on Sunday. occasions - the most recent coming stage dominance. Like Beijing, FC Tokyo have nev- Such was their dominance of in 2015 - but fell at the first hurdle They also had the luxury of qual- er advanced beyond the Round of 16, Group F that an Ulsan outfit featur- That impressive array of attack- to the tournament, they have pro- each time, with all three defeats ifying for the knockout stage with falling to a 1-0 defeat against Guang- ing just one of the 11 players from ing weapons gives the Korean side gressed to be the last Australian team coming against Korean opposition. two matches to spare, allowing the zhou Evergrande in their maiden ap- their previous outing eased to a confidence they can end a run of standing in the competition. Head coach Bruno Génésio said Frenchman to use some of his star pearance in 2012, before suffering 4-1 win over Shanghai Shenhua on Round of 16 defeats which has seen Assistant coach Steve Kean Beijing FC were determined to break names sparingly in their final group an away goals exit against Shanghai Thursday, in a match where the Chi- them exit the competition in the past said, despite the knockout nature of new ground in the AFC Champions stage matches against FC Seoul and SIPG four years later. nese side were fighting to stay alive in two seasons. Melbourne Victory’s previous out- League. Chiangrai United plus having also Both of those defeats came the tournament. The history that is in Ulsan’s ing against FC Seoul, they would be “It’s a very good opportunity done their homework on FC Tokyo. against Chinese opposition, and Head coach Kim Do-hoon be- favour comes from their previous mentally ready to do it all again on for myself and for the club to make “During the group stage our both in Olympic years, but as the lieves Ulsan Hyundai FC will advance meetings with Melbourne, with the Sunday. a new record in the club’s history. coaching staff already observed FC people of Tokyo know better than despite the challenge Melbourne Vic- Koreans winning 6-2 and drawing “I think if (we face) a difficulty, We’ve got a very good opportunity,” Tokyo and they have good attacking almost anyone, 2020 has rarely fol- tory will pose. 3-3 in the group stage in 2018. it won’t be through effort or applica- said Génésio. “I hope all my players abilities; they can score goals, but lowed the script. “I think the fact that Melbourne “I think all of the players are do- tion. I think the biggest challenge is Victory qualifiedfor the Round of 16 ing well. They’ve tried to show their going to be physically. I think we’ve means they are strong enough and quality on the pitch and deliver a shown that, step by step, the players that they have the quality to be here. great performance in every single have done amazingly well to keep on I noticed that they are very organised game. We’re missing one player producing and keep on getting bet- and rather than relying on individu- (goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo) but we’re ter, and I don’t think that’s going to als, they benefit from a strong organ- fighting together, trying to show our change,” said Kean. isation as a team,” said Kim. quality and 100 percent of our condi- “We just hope that our levels can “They’re offensive situation is tion – that was the main positive of stay at a level where we can continue very impressive, and they are very qualifying early,” said Kim. to produce and stay concentrated. aggressive when they attack, but “The players have done well to The game that was set out was ex- we’re also ready to fight as a team adapt to playing in Qatar, so I hope ecuted perfectly well in the last game, and if we show our quality as a team, they can maintain this energy.” and the only danger – I don’t think we believe we can beat this type of While some of Ulsan’s key per- it will be any other thing – will be team.” sonnel remain at the club, including size of the physical ask against a very While Junior Negrao stood out head coach Kim and starting striker good, in-form team.” by scoring 26 times in the K League Junior, it is a new-look Melbourne Thursday’s 2-1 win against FC this season, the goals have been com- Victory which has defied all expecta- Seoul was the crucial result in driv- ing from everywhere in Asia.