Qatar’s focus now on advancing to playoffs, says coach Garcia

With automatic qualification out of reach, Qatar head coach Luis Garcia said the focus now will be on advancing to the Asian World Cup qualifiers playoffs.
Kyrgyzstan sensationally defeated Qatar 3-1 in the Group A match in Bishkek on Tuesday and eliminating Qatar from contention for a top-two finish in the group.
It was a result which not only revived the White Falcons’ campaign but also ended Qatar’s hopes of earning automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup.
“We’re certainly unhappy with this result, because we knew how we were supposed to play, but in the end, the small details made the difference. The red card also affected us, as it came at a time when we could have scored and taken the lead,” Garcia said after the match.
With 10 points, Qatar now face a challenge from fifth-placed Kyrgyzstan (six points) to reach the fourth round. Qatar’s remaining two matches are against Iran on June 5 and Uzbekistan on June 10, while Kyrgyzstan will face eliminated North Korea and Iran in their final two matches.
“We must continue fighting and try to qualify for the World Cup. We must focus on the last two matches where we’ll try to secure our place in the playoffs and then we’ll see what happens in the future,” said Garcia. Qatar will have to contend with two tough opponents in June, with Iran and Uzbekistan their opponents.
Kyrgyzstan’s victory was well-earned, as they outplayed and outworked the two-time Asian champions. Valeriy Kichin gave them the lead just before halftime. Lucas Mendes, who was sent off shortly after, equalised for Qatar seven minutes into the second half, but Kyrgyzstan proved too strong. Aleksandr Mishchenko and Alimardon Shukurov scored late to secure a famous win for their team.
Kyrgyzstan coach Maksim Lisitsyn paid tribute to his squad after the win. “It was a great effort by the whole team, the entire team. Everything went according to our plan. They made some adjustments on set-pieces, especially on corners, but we didn’t deviate from our strategy,” said Lisitsyn.
“We adapted and our opponents couldn’t break through successfully. I don’t think we need to talk about the strength of the opponent as our guys were better today.”
Qatar captain Akram Afif shared his disappointment following the defeat to Kyrgyzstan. He said that the team would assess their performance and learn from their mistakes in the remaining matches. “Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup, and we must give our best to achieve it,” Afif said after the match.
The fourth qualifying round will feature the third and fourth-placed teams from the three third-round groups. These teams will compete in a single match at a centralised venue, with the winner from each group earning a place in the World Cup.

GROUP A STANDINGS
(P W D L GD Pts)
Iran 8 6 2 0 9 20
Uzbekistan 8 5 2 1 4 17
UAE 8 4 1 3 7 13
Qatar 8 3 1 4 -5 10
Kyrgyzstan 8 2 0 6 -6 6
North Korea 8 0 2 6 -9 2