Hervé Renard: A difficult game and worthy qualification

Frenchman Hervé Renard praised his players after qualifying for the Gulf Cup 24 finals. He said at the press conference after reaching the finals: “It was a very difficult match and it was not the best performance that we showed. In such games we have to fight and play with high concentration, and this is what happened and we deserved this qualification.”

He added: “This is my first championship in the Gulf Cup. It is important that we qualified, and we have to focus to achieve the title. We have great players and we beat Bahrain in the first round, but inevitably the second match will be a completely different matter than what has happened. I am waiting for the leader Salman Al Faraj in the finals.”

He further commented: “We did what we had on the field and we fought for 90 minutes in high spirit. This does not mean that Qatar lost because it is not good. We were honored with this competition on the field.”

Regarding the way he played: “We played without two of our best players, Salman Al-Faraj and Salem Al-Dossary. Imagine that Qatar played without Afif and Al-Moez. They are the most prominent players. This is why I chose the appropriate way to deal with absences. They controlled but we were organized, and Qatar missed opportunities. We also hit the crossbar too.”

At the end of his speech, Renard praised the facilities Qatar is preparing to host the World Cup. He expressed his admiration for the Aspire Academy which is of absolute importance to young students in building their future.