Alkass Digital
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos yesterday hoped his team will give a strong show to delight home fans during the AFC Asian Cup starting on January 12 at Lusail Stadium.
The hosts, who clinched their maiden Asian Cup in the UAE after a brilliant run four years ago, will start their title defence against Lebanon with the tournament’s inaugural match.
In a video posted on Qatar Football Association’s social media, Al Haydos recalled the memories of Qatar’s historic triumph in the UAE where Al Annabi remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
“Certainly, the biggest achievement of my career is winning the Asian Cup title,” the Al Sadd forward, who will be the most experienced player with 175 appearances at the upcoming Asian Cup, said.
“The moment of winning the tournament for the first time cannot be forgotten and will remain stuck in everyone’s minds,” the 33-year-old said.
After meeting Lebanon, Qatar will also face Tajikistan and China in the group stage with their initial target being the knockout stage.
“We want to play on the principle of step by step during the group stage matches and obtain the largest number of points, in order to reach the Round of 16. The beginning is in the opening match against the Lebanese national team on Friday,” said Al Haydos, who will make his fourth appearance in the Asian Cup.
“We are currently focused on giving a strong performance. Our goal is to achieve positive results in this tournament that is being held on our home soil. Our biggest goal is to make the Qatari fans happy, who we hope will support and stand by the team during the matches. Their support is very important to achieve the desired results,” he added.