MX23RW : Wednesday, March 31 10:24:43| >> :600:1078371:1078371:

Qatar set sights on historic first Asian Cup title

Felix Sanchez's men will come up against four-time winners Japan in Friday's final.

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has challenged his players to finish the job and deliver history for their nation in Friday's AFC Asian Cup final against Japan.

Qatar, who had never previously advanced beyond the quarter-finals, have taken the tournament by storm, winning all six of their games while scoring 16 goals and conceding none.

"This is definitely the most important game in Qatar's football history," Sanchez said in a press conference.

"We are now obviously at the stage of the tournament where the team is in a confident mood and looking forward to starting the game. Obviously if we win the trophy, it will be Qatar's biggest achievement in terms of football."

But Friday's final pits them against the record four-time winners of the competition and Sanchez knows the biggest hurdle still awaits them.

"The game against Japan is now another story for us. Japan have great quality and have won the AFC Asian Cup many times," Sanchez added.

"However, we are ready [for the challenge] and will play in a way to negate the threats they have."

"We know Japan have several strengths and a few weaknesses, so we will need to be excellent throughout the game in order to achieve the win we want."

Half of Qatar's goals have come from winger Almoez Ali, who has scored eight in six to match the 23-year-old Asian Cup record of Ali Daei with a match to spare.

Stopping him will be the primary task for Japan if they want a record fifth Asian Cup crown.

They have never lost an Asian Cup final, keeping three clean sheets in four, and in coach Hajime Moriyasu they have a man who was on the pitch as a player in their breakthrough success in 1992.

"Tomorrow as a team we would like to try to take the trophy back home, but I'm not too interested in what it means to me," the former midfielder said.

"I just want to celebrate the title with all the team and we will do our best in training as well."

Qatar's form at both ends of the pitch has been formidable, but Moriyasu is confident Japan can succeed by sticking to the formula which has also brought them six wins from six in this tournament.

"We are aware they are a very strong team, that they have scored 16 goals and kept clean sheets all the way through, but no matter how they play we will stay the same," he said. "We will analyse them and then we will express our best on the field.

"We are also a team that has reached the final, so I want the players to be confident because of that. We have been developing as a team throughout each game and I want us to show that development on the field tomorrow."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '98b852ba-2ae4-41bd-b204-a2843f3bc1cc');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Qatar set sights on historic first Asian Cup title'});

ID:348816: cacheID:348816:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5185:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
Zinedine Zidane announces his Real Madrid departure at a press conference on May 31, 2018
Read Next:
Zidane offered £176m to coach Qatar?
>
Latest Sports Video

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30225364214371
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd29169456322457
3Leicester CityLeicester29175753322156
4Chelsea29149644251951
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham29147845351049
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs29146949301948
7Liverpool29137948361246
8Everton28144104037346
9Arsenal29126114032842
10Aston Villa28125113930941
11Leeds UnitedLeeds29123144547-239
12Crystal Palace29107123147-1637
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2998122838-1035
14Southampton2996143651-1533
15Burnley2989122237-1533
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29711113236-432
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2977152848-2028
18Fulham30511142338-1526
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2939172057-3718
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2942231650-3414

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!