Qatar's Focus Only on Iran, Lopez Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Qatar head coach Marquez Lopes is refusing to look beyond his side’s AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 semifinals meeting with Iran as the host nation moved a step closer to successfully defending the title with a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win over Uzbekistan.
Goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham was the hero for the 2019 champions after a 1-1 draw at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday. The Al Sadd man saved three penalties after 120 minutes of action could not separate the two teams.
“Our goal is to always win, one match after the other and we’ve given everything we’ve got in this short period,” said Lopes. “We believe reaching the semifinals is an achievement, but the mission is not accomplished yet.
“We still have two matches and we want to give everything we can in these two matches, but we’ll take it one match at a time,” the Spaniard added.
