Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui insists his side are embracing the World Cup experience with ambition rather than pressure as they prepare to face co-hosts Canada in a key Group B encounter on Thursday.
Qatar opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Switzerland, while Canada were also held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving all four teams in the group level on one point.
With the group finely balanced, victory in Vancouver could provide a major boost to either side’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Despite the significance of the match, Lopetegui said pressure is not something his team is focusing on.
“The word pressure is not in our mind,” he told reporters.
“When you follow a dream, you’re never under pressure. You have ambition and excitement because we have achieved something that has never happened before in Qatar’s history by being here.”
The Spaniard praised the progress of the Gulf nation, highlighting the investment made in football development and infrastructure over recent years.
“Qatar is a small country, but it has a big passion and has invested heavily in facilities and improving every day,” he said.
After earning their first point at a World Cup outside their home tournament in 2022, Lopetegui wants his players focused solely on the challenge ahead.
“We are not thinking about what happened against Switzerland. That is in the past. We are only focused on facing a strong Canadian team.”
Midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem echoed his coach’s confidence, saying the squad is better prepared than during their maiden World Cup appearance four years ago.
“It was the first time and there was a lot of pressure. Maybe we did not have the experience then, but now we are here and we have that experience,” Hatem said.
“We are ready. We want to play a good game and continue making history. It will not be easy, but I believe we are capable of doing it.”
Back-to-back Asian Cup champions Qatar are aiming to build on their encouraging start and take another step towards a historic place in the knockout rounds.
