Qatar banks on Asian Cup heroes

QH TAKES A LOOK AT THE HOST NATION’S FIFA WORLD CUP DEBUT

Long-serving coach Felix Sanchez on November 11 announced a strong 26-man FIFA World Cup squad that mainly consists of players who featured prominently in their victorious Asian Cup title triumph in 2019.

Sanchez, who has been with the Qatar national squad for more than four years, included feared goalpoachers Almoez Ali and Akram Afif, two of the heroes who guided Qatar to their historic Asian Cup triumph in the UAE.

Ali, the Most Valuable Player from the 2019 Asian Cup, and Afif are expected to lead the team on their historic World Cup debut match on November 20 when the hosts take on Ecuador at the imposing Al Bayt Stadium. Hosts Qatar are in Group A alongside Ecuador, Senegal and The Netherlands.

Ali, who plays for Qatar Stars League (QSL) side Al Duhail, has scored a staggering 42 goals in just 85 matches for the Qatari national team. He was the highest scorer of the 2019 Asian Cup when he found the net an astonishing Afif, the Al Sadd star, will be expected part of the Qatar’s plans for every event from experienced defender Abdelkarim

Also expected to lead the Qatari