Qatar’s players share light moment in snow on the eve of their third place play-off in Kunshan, China yesterday.
Doha: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez believes his players have the character to overcome the disappointment of not reaching the final of the AFC U23 Championship 2018 to secure victory over Korea Republic in the third place play-off today.
Sanchez’s side lost in a penalty shootout to Vietnam while the Koreans were eliminated by Uzbekistan to set up the encounter between the two, with the Qataris appearing in the third place play-off for the second tournament in a row.
“This is the game that nobody likes to play, but we need to make the last effort to play a good game tomorrow,” Sanchez was quoted as saying on afc.com.
“Our players are going to do their best like they did in all the other games to play a good game.
“The situation is we didn’t qualify (for the final) without losing any games. We had four victories and one draw after 120 minutes, so it is not easy. But our players have a very positive mentality and they know that sometimes football has this.
“I think they are ready and, of course, we plan for the game for tomorrow. Yesterday and today we will see how the players are doing, especially physically because it’s been a long tournament and the last game was tough,” he added.
The Qataris arrived in Kunshan on Wednesday evening from Changzhou and woke up yesterday to a blanket of snow over the city, providing unfamiliar conditions for Sanchez’s team.
But he does not think the frigid temperatures will provide cause for concern for Qatar.
“We need to evaluate some players because there are some doubts,” said Sanchez of the physical condition of his players after five games.
“We will test and tomorrow morning we will decide.
“As for the conditions, it’s different to what we are used to but it’s not an excuse. Many of them have played outside Qatar with these conditions so it won’t affect us.”
The Koreans, meanwhile, will go into the game without Jang Yun-ho who was sent off during their 4-1 extra-time loss against Uzbekistan, leaving coach Kim Bong-gil to decide who will replace the Jeonbuk Hyundai man in central midfield.
“We are ready for the last match, the third place match, even though our players are exhausted because we played extra time, but our players will do their best,” he said.
“Our players are well prepared and they know how important this match is. They are eager to get third place and they’ll do their best. Tomorrow is the last match in this tournament and they will give their all,” he added.
