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If you haven't heard already, Qatar recently faced a surprising defeat at the hands of an Irish football club during a warm-up. The supposed skill gap between these two teams is enormous, and as you would expect, this has caused a few people to raise their brows out of concern.
Well, how big of a deal is this? There are people on both sides of the coin, and this topic has been controversial in more ways than one. However, we aim to settle this debate by taking an unbiased look at this whole fiasco, and that is exactly what we are going to be doing in this article.
Let’s get straight into it and talk about whether or not Qatar’s loss to a low-level Irish club during a warm-up could spell catastrophe for them in the upcoming World Cup.
Warms-Ups Are Called Warm-Ups For a Reason
Warm-up games are akin to a sparring match in boxing. You don’t put your full effort into the match in order to conserve energy, and you pull back your punches so neither team gets injured for when the real thing occurs.
The chances that Qatar gave it everything they had to win this game are slim to none, and in reality, losing to this Irish club was likely just seen as a little humorous and taken in good spirit.
Qatar’s national team is full of some of the most talented players from all around the country - do you truly think players at this level would lose to a low-level club if they were putting in everything they had? The differences in skill between high-level players and low-level players are incredibly vast, and in reality, if Qatar was to play them in a real game, it is not likely that said Irish Club would stand a chance.
Taking all of this into consideration; the fact that Qatar lost in a warm-up game to a relatively unknown club is likely not an indicator that they are set for a bad time in the World Cup, and in reality, it is probable that this whole ordeal is a little humorous to the national team of Qatar. It’s unlikely that spectators will be adding a Qatar win to their double bet odds calculator during the World Cup, though.
Slightly Concerning To On-Lookers
While it is unlikely that this fiasco spells disaster for Qatar, it still is a little embarrassing. In situations like this, the superior team is usually expected to win with ease, and it comes as no surprise to see that many fans are a little concerned.
Qatar’s humiliating defeat is undoubtedly going to cause a stir amongst fans, and whilst this loss might not ultimately be a bad thing, it’s certainly going to play a key role in their public perception heading into the World Cup.
So, what do you think of this whole ordeal? Do you think Qatar’s loss to their supposed inferiors could be a sign that they are not set to place well in the World Cup, or do you think it was just a friendly game where Qatar was not exerting their full effort?
The most likely conclusion is that it is a little bit of both - Qatar did likely not exert themselves fully into their match against the Irish Club, but it is still a little embarrassing for such a talented team to lose to a lesser club. We will find out soon enough.