Qatar midfielder Akram Afif
CHANGZHOU: Qatar midfielder Akram Afif (pictured) says his team is keen to deliver a better performance than their fourth-place finish at the 2016 AFC U23 Championship held in Doha.
Al Annabi, coached by Felix Sanchez, take on Uzbekistan in the opening clash of the AFC U23 Championship today as the latest edition of the premier national team event gets underway in China.
Two years ago, Qatar kicked off proceedings in a spirited manner before losing out to Korea Republic in the semi-finals and then suffering a heart-breaking extra-time defeat against Iraq in the play-off for third place.
“It is true that the last AFC U23 Championship in Qatar was a disappointing one for us,” Afif told the AFC’s official website in an interview yesterday.
“Nevertheless, this time around we have almost the same squad as the one we had in 2016, and we hope that we have learned from our experiences in the last competition.
“There is no doubt that we are now looking to achieve something here in China,” the 21-year-old warned. Oman and China are the other two teams in Group A.
Afif - who now plies his trade in Belgium with Eupen - said his team-mates are not going to take their opponents easily. He said the players were feeling confident ahead of the first match.
“Ahead of the tournament, myself and the team have noticed that there is a very good atmosphere here in China,” Afif said.
“Of course, as a team we want to be among the favourites to win this competition.
“But we know that we must take it step by step towards the final,” he added.
Afif was the player Qatar relied on when they won the AFC U-19 Championship in 2014. The youngster has also played for Spanish sides Villarreal and Sporting Gijon in his young career.
“To be in such a tournament and to be able to compete against different countries with different playing styles is a definite plus for me and the rest of the side,” Afif said.
“It will give us more experience and help us become better players. We are looking forward to it.”
Afif also played for Qatar at the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in New Zealand two years ago.
