Iraqi national team prepares for 25th Gulf Cup semi-finals
Iraqi players celebrating after scoring a goal during a match in the 25th Gulf Cup. Photo: AGCFF
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi national team is preparing to face its Qatari counterpart on Monday in the semi-finals of the 25th Gulf Cup championship held in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
This match is significantly important for both teams as the Iraqi team certainly wants to be crowned with the title at home, and the Qatari team is looking forward to make the fans happy especially after the poor performance in 2022 World Cup.
Caution and respect dominated the statements of the coaches of both teams before the upcoming match. Each refused to acknowledge his preference over the other in the match press conference.
“Reaching the semi-finals is a great honor for us. We are very happy and we want to continue until the end,” the Spanish coach of the Iraqi national team, Jesus Casas, said.
“The fans did not have the confidence that we would reach the semi-finals, but we proved we are capable of winning in front of everyone, and our goal is to continue the victories, and we respect the Qatari team,” Casas stated.
“We are not afraid of facing the Qatari national team, but we respect it very much because it has good players, and I believe that the physical strength of the players will be decisive in the semi-finals, particularly if the match extended to extra time,” Casas explained.
“All players in the list are essential. I will choose the right names for this particular match,” Casas added.