Katanec: The game was not easy and I am happy with the draw

Iraqi coach Katanec said that he is satisfied with the result of the goalless draw between Iraq and Yemen in the last round of the group stage of the Gulf 24.

“The match was not easy. It was an important game for us,” he said at the press conference after the match. “However, Mustafa’s dismissal at the beginning of the game confused our calculations and the players were forced to do more. This is not good for us because we lost physical effort which we were saving for the semi-final.”

“We played with nine players, two of whom are attackers. We also played with young players like Qassim and Maitham, who joined for the first time for the national team. We were challenged by the Yemeni players who did well.”

He concluded: “I am happy with the outcome of the match. We qualified without a defeat. I do not know the validity of the decision of the referee, and therefore I cannot judge it.”