EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Q3.08.news<br />
A last ditch win against Iraq<br />
has given fresh impetus to<br />
QATAR’s World Cup 2010<br />
qualifying campaign<br />
World cup<br />
campaign<br />
back on<br />
track<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> has been drawn in a Group A with Australia,<br />
Japan, Bahrain and Uzbekistan as the 2010 FIFA World<br />
Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament reaches its<br />
final group stages.<br />
Qualification for the last 10 was sealed in dramatic<br />
style on June 22 when the boys in maroon triumphed in<br />
a must-win preliminary group match against the 2007<br />
Asian Champions Iraq.<br />
Held in Dubai as a ‘home’ game for Iraq, striker,<br />
Saeed Al Bashir scored the only goal of a nerve-jangling<br />
encounter in the 77th minute, raising <strong>Qatar</strong>’s points tally<br />
to 10, to finish in second place behind Australia.<br />
“It was very tense out there,” admitted <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati after the match. “But<br />
my players played according to plan. It was extremely<br />
pleasing to see how they performed with their backs to<br />
the wall.<br />
“We [also] managed to defeat our critics - and the<br />
entire football hierarchy [in <strong>Qatar</strong>] deserves to celebrate<br />
this great win.”<br />
Fossati added that he has faith in his players to<br />
deliver the goods in the next stage of qualifying. “I am<br />
very optimistic about our chances because my players<br />
have shown tremendous spirit in the last few months.<br />
We have beaten some strong sides this year and have<br />
learned a lot along the way. Our next target is reach the<br />
World Cup finals.”<br />
Commenting on <strong>Qatar</strong>’s prospects of reaching the<br />
finals after the draw, President of the <strong>Qatar</strong> Football<br />
Association, HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed<br />
Al-Thani, added: “Group A includes teams of a high<br />
technical level and great reputation in Asia, but [I<br />
believe] <strong>Qatar</strong> will compete strongly to qualify for the<br />
finals in South Africa.”<br />
In Group B, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia,<br />
which all qualified for the last World Cup in 2006, will<br />
battle North Korea and the United Arab Emirates for the<br />
right to play in South Africa.<br />
The first and second places of each group qualify<br />
directly for the finals, while the third placed teams will<br />
play-off against each other for the right to take on the<br />
winner of the Oceania Confederation for the final place.<br />
The two groups will be contested on a home and away<br />
basis between September 2008 and June 2009. <strong>Qatar</strong> will<br />
face Uzbekistan in Doha on September 6 in the opening<br />
match. The second encounter will be against Bahrain on<br />
September 10, in Manama, while their third match will<br />
be against Australia on November 15, in Australia.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s crucial 1-0 win<br />
against Iraq sparked<br />
celebrations among<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i fans in the<br />
stadium and joyous<br />
scenes on the pitch as<br />
manager Jorge Fossati<br />
congratulated his players<br />
after the final whistle.<br />
Q3.08 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 5