Tehran: Qatar are determined to qualify for a first ever FIFA World Cup, but face a difficult first step on the final stretch of the road to Russia, according to captain Hassan Al Haidos.
Speaking to FIFA.com, Al Haidos acknowledged the difficulty of their opening Group A fixture – Iran at the imposing Azadi stadium – but spoke confidently of Qatar’s chances.
“It’s always important to begin well,” the Al Sadd man said
“I don’t think we could have had a more difficult home game. It’s always very tough against Iran and even more so away from home, in front of their fans, but I think we’re ready to face the challenge this time.”
But Al Haidos’ optimism goes beyond the Iran match. The 26-year-old believes Qatar have the quality to secure a long-awaited first ever FIFA World Cup berth, even before they qualify automatically as hosts in 2022.
“This time I’m very optimistic,” he said.
“We’re more determined than ever to realize the dream we’ve been pursuing for a very long time.”
Al Haidos – who has scored four goals in qualifying so far, all against Bhutan, said the physical and technical work done in Qatar’s preparation has them ripe for an assault on one the four automatic Asian qualifying places for Russia.
“Like I’ve said before, optimism doesn’t spring from hope alone. Everything we’re experiencing at the moment is feeding our ambition,” he added.
“We’ve put in a lot of work and we want to see it pay off on the pitch.”
Source: the-afc.com