The Peninsula
Iraq may have progressed to the semi-finals of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup, coach Srecko Katanec has warned his ranks to be on the mark when they will meet Yemen in their last Group A match at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
While tomorrow’s match will have no effect in determining the second semi-finalists from the group, Katanec did not downplay the importance of the fixture.
The ‘Lions of Mesopotamia’ after their 2-0 win over the UAE on Friday – their second successive victory following the stunning 2-1 triumph against hosts Qatar in the opener – became the first side to reach the last-four stage in the eight-nation tournament. Tomorrow’s other game between Qatar and the UAE at the Khalifa International Stadium will decide second place in Group A, with the home side just needing a draw to advance.
Yemen went out of contention after being outclassed by UAE (3-0) and Qatar (6-0) in their first two games.
Despite their failure in early matches, Iraq coach Katanec sees Yemen – who are yet to record their first-ever victory in the regional competition – as a tough side.
“Yemen team doesn’t look easy,” Katanec told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“They have good players and are in the rebuilding process. They can punish us if we will not be ready and will not play well,” warned the Slovenian. “I want my players to go into the game well prepared,” he added.
Katanec, meanwhile, confirmed defender Saad Al Natiq, who suffered a broken nose in-game against UAE on Friday, will miss the rest of the tournament after surgery.
“Some of my players need rest but I am not sure about the starting team,” he said while hinting at changes in tomorrow’s match.
Midfielder Mohammed Qasem, who scored a brace in Iraq’s win over Qatar, said his team will go all out for a victory against Yemen.
“Our aim is to win in every game we play. We are happy to reach the semi-finals and now we look to maintain our perfect run before we play the semi-final,” said Qasem.
For Yemen, it will be the last opportunity in this edition for them to make history – winning a Gulf Cup match. Coach Sami Hasan Al Nash did not complain much about Yemen’s performance and hoped his side to achieve a positive result.
“The score-lines of our defeats are clear but our performance was not very bad. We are in a tough group,” Al Nash said yesterday while hinting to replace goalkeeper Mohamed Ebrahim with Salim Saeed.
“Football is what unites our country and we will give our best to get good results in this yet another tough match against Iraq,” he added.
Yemen striker Abdul Wasi Al-Matari also vowed that his side will go all out against group leaders Iraq.
“Iraq is a tough team but we want to show an improved result. Our moral is high despite the two defeats and we are looking forward to a good performance in our last game,” he said.