QFA Chief Eyeing Wins in Next Two Matches at Gulf Cup

Manama, January 06 (QNA) - Qatar will be eyeing wins in their next two matches in the Gulf Cup with hopes of exhibiting a far better organised game than they showed in their loss against the UAE, their football chief said on Sunday. UAE on Saturday beat Qatar 3-1 in the opening match of the Gulf Cup, the region's top football event. The Qatar Football Association (QFA) Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said: "We did not play the way we wanted to but there's no need to be despondent about the result. We will work on our weaknesses and play better in the next matches which we can win." The QFA chief noted that the UAE played better than Qatar. "Everyone knows that the first match is always a tricky proposition at every event. It was the same with us," Sheikh Hamad said on Sunday. "Our rivals played better and won," he added. "We congratulate them on this result," he said in a interview posted on QFA website. "We started well and that showed that we had prepared well. But I guess the pressure got to the players at some stage of the match. "Each game in the Gulf Cup is different and I know we will perform better in the next two matches and we will be playing for wins," he said. The QFA president said the next match against Oman would test the character of the Qatari side. "It will be a tough match, for sure. Oman is a strong side. However, I am hopeful that our side will come through. We must win so that we don't go out of the event," he said. "If we want to qualify for the next phase of the event, then we have to win the next two matches and pick up six points," the QFA chief said. "We will be playing to win the next two matches. We will be playing to pick up the points for sure," Sheikh Hamad said. The QFA chief said regretting the absence of senior players due to injury was uncalled for. "Yes, sometimes there are injuries to key players but we must adapt with the available bunch of players," he said. "We need to pick ourselves up and fight again," he said. (QNA)