Qatar players celebrate after qualifying for the semi-final on Saturday.
Doha, Qatar: Marquez Lopez took the challenging task of becoming Qatar’s head coach just a month before Al Annabi’s title defence at the AFC Asian Cup.
The Spaniard, who made the Qatar Stars League side Al Wakrah a force to be reckoned with, is now just two wins away from leading the team to their second successive title in the continental showpiece.
The holders defeated Uzbekistan in the quarter-final on Saturday after an epic battle as goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham excelled in the 3-2 penalty victory after a 1-1 stalemate.
There were scenes of ecstasy among Qatar players and their fans at the Al Bayt Stadium with players tossing hero Barsham after he blocked three penalties during the shootout.
Lopez now wants his players to stay focused with Iran, who eliminated title-favourites Japan, up next in the semi-final on Wednesday.
Marquez Lopez
“We believe reaching the semi-final is an achievement, but the mission is not accomplished yet,” said Lopez, who replaced Carlos Queiroz in December.
“We still have two matches and we want to give everything we can in these two matches, but we’ll take it one match at a time.”
The famous victory over Uzbekistan is Qatar’s fifth consecutive victory in their title defence and Lopez said the team must continue to play with winning mentality.
“Our goal is to always win, one match after the other and we’ve given everything we’ve got in this short period,” the 62-year-old said.
Lopez said preparations ahead of the quarter-final helped his team overcome the difficult Uzbekistan challenge.
“We studied the Uzbekistan team well and we knew they were a tough opponent,” said Lopez.
“We knew their strengths and weaknesses, for example we know they have two players who are very powerful and dangerous in attack so we tried to mitigate the threat represented by these players in an attempt to neutralise them.”
“We gave our best and scored the first goal, then we got nervous and our level dropped. But in the end we knew how to handle this match and we came out victorious,” he said.
‘Unbelievable feeling’
Meanwhile, Barsham credited team efforts for their victory over Uzbekistan in the quarter-final.
“The entire team worked hard in this game. It’s an unbelievable feeling to qualify for the semi-final for the second straight time. This victory is for fans and I want to thank them for their support,” said the custodian.
Qatar's goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham celebrates his team's win at the end of the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final match between Qatar and Uzbekistan at Al-Bayt Stadium on February 3, 2024. Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
Barsham said now his team would prepare for the tough semi-final against Team Melli.
“First off, we need to recover after tonight’s match, to be physically ready. The manager will give us everything we need to be ready as well.
“Since the beginning our goal has been defending the title, but we’re not thinking about that. It’s one match at a time. The atmosphere in the team is positive and this is what is making us united. We’re like a family,” he said.
Meanwhile, striker Almoez Ali has apologised for his missed penalty during the shootout against Uzbekistan.
“I took the penalty in a hurry and I would like to apologise for that miss,” said Almoez, who saw his hit blocked by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov.
“I hope to do well in the semi-final and hopefully we will qualify for the final. Our fans are our real support and we will do our best to make them happy.”
