The Peninsula
A ‘vigilant’ Qatar will be aiming to maintain their impressive run in Copa America challenge when they take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a crucial Group B match today (10pm Qatar time).
The Asian champions are on the verge of sending Messi’s team back home as Argentina face a survival test at the Copa America. The two- time World Cup champions have no choice but to beat Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup.
The Qatar camp is upbeat after delivering two impressive performances and have set their eyes on the last-eight stage of the South American showpiece event.
They climbed back from a 2-0 deficit against Paraguay to draw 2-2, before losing to Colombia after a goal scored minutes before the final whistle.
“We have to be vigilant all the time against Argentina,” said Qatari defender Karim Boudiaf on the eve of the match.
“With a great player like Lionel Messi in their ranks we will remain very careful. They have strong players in the line of attack and we will give our best against Argentina and play with all strength. Our confidence is very high and anything can happen in football,” he added.
“We played a great game against Paraguay and we only lost with narrowly against Colombia, because of a goal we conceded with four minutes from the end, which shows that we have a solid and strong defense,” said Boudaif.
“We want to be protagonists on the pitch, our players have the quality to do that,” said Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez.
“We’re a team that never gives up,” he added about the Asian champions.
“We arrived with chances of going through,” Sanchez said.
“It will be tremendously difficult because of the Argentina potential everybody knows.”
With Colombia through as group winner, the focus is on Argentina in last position with one point.
To finish second, Messi’s team will need to beat Qatar in Porto Alegre and hope Paraguay, with two points, doesn’t win against Colombia in Salvador. If Paraguay wins, Argentina will finish third.
In that case, Argentina will hope Brazil beat Peru by more than two goals and that Japan doesn’t beat Ecuador tomorrow in Belo Horizonte in Group C.
If Argentina draw the Asian champions, it will cheer for Colombia to beat Paraguay by more than two goals, and that Japan and Ecuador draw as well.
The last time Argentina crashed out of a Copa America group stage was in 1983.
“It would be crazy not to advance when three teams are practically guaranteed in the next round,” Messi said drawing with Paraguay on Wednesday.
But the five-time world player of the year says Argentina’s reality is different now.
“We knew that it was not easy to come play Copa America, we were searching for a team, for a system,” Messi said. “Nowadays you don’t win because of the shirt anymore, and we have to do things well to get the three points.”