Vancouver – (dpa):
The Spanish coach, Julen Lopetegui, coach of the Qatari national football team, confirmed that the harsh six-point loss to his Canadian counterpart in the World Cup finals was the result of exceptional circumstances.
The Qatar national team did not perform at the expected level, as it appeared during its 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the opening round of the group, and it appeared to be greatly affected by the expulsion of its players, Hammam Al-Amin and Asim Madibo, in the 33rd and 53rd minutes, respectively.
The Qatar national team, which suffered the harshest loss in its history in the World Cup, froze at one point in fourth place, before its meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was equal to it in the same score in the last round.
The Qatar national team must win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Al-Anabi still has the opportunity to advance to the knockout stage by being among the best eight third-placed teams in the 12 groups in the tournament.
Lopetegui indicated that the course of the match was contrary to what the technical staff had planned, stressing that the expulsion of players from his team and the turns of the match gave the opponent a great advantage, especially since the Canadian national team possesses strong and fast players who play in major European clubs, such as Jonathan David, the Italian Juventus striker, and Tajon Buchanan, the Spanish Villarreal player.
At the beginning of his speech, the Qatar coach expressed his wishes for a speedy recovery for the Canadian player Kony, who was seriously injured during the match, stressing that the intervention on the part of the player Assem Madibo was not intentional at all, but rather an unfortunate football accident that was repeated in the stadiums, preferring to keep the details of what took place between him and Canada coach Jesse Marsh after the final whistle as a personal matter between them.
Lopetegui explained that the Qatari team did not start the match poorly, but rather had several clear opportunities to score, but the great success that required Canada to exploit the opportunities, specifically when scoring the second goal and the direct red card received by Hammam Al-Amin in the first half, caused the course to turn into a very complicated scenario.
He added that the difficulty doubled in the second half after Madibo received another red card in the 53rd minute, so the team played more than 40 minutes with only nine players against a competitor with a very high attacking quality and in a difficult atmosphere, stressing that the players made exceptional efforts to maintain their balance despite the successive adverse circumstances.
Regarding the next steps, the technical director stated that he refuses to waste his energy evaluating arbitration decisions or talking about details beyond his control, preferring to focus fully on recovering the team members physically and psychologically and preparing them for the final confrontation against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he considered as a final match that the team will play to decide its fortunes.
Lopetegui pointed out that playing in the absence of two main pillars such as Hammam and Madibo forces the technical staff to devise quick solutions and adapt to the new reality, recalling that being in this situation and competing in a global forum such as the World Cup is a historic achievement for the Qatari team, which has made its way with effort and determination, while major countries are watching this World Cup on television.
The Spanish coach sent a direct and poignant message to the Qatari fans who marched to support the team, expressing his deep appreciation for their enduring the hardships of travel and being in the stands, and stressing that he and the players shared the feelings of extreme sadness caused by this heavy result.
Lopetegui concluded his speech by emphasizing the need for everyone to be balanced, look at the positive gains, and be proud of representing Qatar in the World Cup, promising to work quickly, along with his supporting staff, to overcome this technical setback and prepare with full force for the great challenge facing Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for June 24, with the aim of showing the team’s true fighting spirit and making followers happy.
