A day away from debuting in their first World Cup, Qatar’s captain Hassan Al-Haydos has voiced he is ready to lead his team into a tough match against Ecuador.

Speaking from the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Al-Haydos expressed his pride in representing Qatar ahead of the World Cup.

“I feel proud to be the first player to captain our national team in the World Cup. All my teammates are ready for this tournament,” the all-time most-capped Qatari footballer said.

Regarding the match against the South Americans, Al-Haydos admitted it would be a difficult match, however his team is prepared to beat the odds.

“The task is difficult, and the teams are of different levels, but we are here to prove to everyone that we are capable of achieving a positive result.”

“We have completed our preparations for the match against Ecuador, and we look forward to seeing the support of our fans tomorrow,” the Qatari captain added.

At the press conference, Coach Felix Sanchez communicated to the public that he is well aware of the importance of tomorrow’s game.

“It will be a very important match for us tomorrow. We will be playing
in front of our fans at home, and we are aware of our responsibility,” said the Spanish football coach.

“Tomorrow is a historic and important day in Qatari football, and we are ready to prove to everyone that we deserve to play in the World cup,” Sanchez added.

Similarly to Al-Haydos, Sanchez articulated that the match against Ecuador would be challenging since the team is youthful and skillful.

“Ecuador is a very good team with many young and talented players, and they will be a difficult opponent. We will do everything we can to compete against them tomorrow.”

Qatar’s Maroons are now mentally preparing for their kickoff as they played their last practice session on Friday.

In the build-up to the World Cup date, Qatar has played in several friendlies in Spain and Austria, winning several of the game and losing a few.

The first match of the 2022 World Cup takes place at the Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with Ecuador the first team to play hosts Qatar in Group A.