Salim Cheniouni
Doha, Qatar: Coach Bruno Miguel on Saturday lauded the performance of his side, saying Qatar played ‘quality football', despite their 2-1 loss against UAE in the Group A match, played on the opening day of the AFC U-19 Asian Cup on Thursday.
Qatar’s Bruno Miguel feels his side still has what it takes to go through to the quarter-finals, despite their 2-1 opening day loss.
Qatar will get the chance to redeem themselves when they take on hosts Indonesia at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, today.
“We still believe we will qualify, and if we play again like we did against the UAE then we can definitely go through,” he said.
“Against Indonesia we want to have the same quality that was there in our first match, but of course we want a different result this time around.
“It will not be easy, but we will do everything we can to win the next game. Indonesia have great support and some quality players, so it should be an excellent match.”
With Indonesia off to a winning start, coach Indra Sjafri feels there is still more to come from his young charges who could secure their ticket through to the knockout phase with another three-point haul.
Despite the victory against Chinese Taipei, taking Indonesia to the top of the Group ‘A’ standings, Sjafri remains adamant that there is still work to be done – starting with the game against Qatar.
“The win was something we should be grateful for, as it could help determine our chances of progressing. Nevertheless, we must prepare well for the match with Qatar whose defeat to the United Arab Emirates proved that absolutely anything can happen in football.”