Spain's Felix Sanchez, coach of the Qatar national team, admitted that his team did not perform its best in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup against Ecuador, which Al-Annabi lost with two unanswered goals, in Group A competitions.

"Naturally, this was not the desired result," Sanchez said after the match, which was held at Al-Bayt Stadium. "We have to analyze the match, focus on the next one, forget what happened today and learn lessons."

He added, "I will not make excuses. I congratulate the opponent on this victory. We have a lot of capabilities. We did not do our best. Perhaps because of the tension, the start was not good, rather it was bad, and we conceded two goals."

Sanchez promises to improve in the coming matches

And Sanchez added, "Yes, there is a possibility of improvement. We were not distinguished by accuracy in terms of passes. We could not pass the ball more than 4 times in a row. The defensive side is full of holes. We have had many penetrations and when you make mistakes, you are punished."

He concluded, "We must play more coherently and be more in possession of the ball. The second half was better compared to the first."

In turn, Qatar midfielder Karim Boudiaf said, "It is true that we were not waiting for the loss, but this is football. I do not know, perhaps it is the pressure or I do not know what happened. We were not in the atmosphere throughout the match. We did not play well."

He added, "We did not play the football that we play. We have two games to come and we will try to fix things before playing them."

He continued, "We know now that things have become very difficult. We have the Senegal match, then the Netherlands, and they are the two teams that are favorites to qualify for the group, and therefore things will be difficult, but there is always a chance and we will try, so the next match is decisive for us."

As for Saad Al-Sheeb, the goalkeeper of the Qatar national team, he said, "I think we did not play as required in the first half hour and there were mistakes. In the second half we were better, and I hope that we will be one hand in the next two matches and reduce mistakes."

Al-Moez Ali, the Qatar national team striker, commented, "We started the first quarter of an hour confused and made mistakes that affected the course of the match. We must learn from those mistakes. The picture must be changed, and we must continue in the second half with the most enthusiasm and ability to reach the opponent's goal."

The Ecuadorian coach is happy with the victory

On the other hand, Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, coach of the Ecuadorian national team, expressed his happiness with the first victory, saying, "I am very happy, it is a very wonderful victory, especially since the opening match of the World Cup is usually tense nerves."

He added, "Our goal is to reach the knockout stages, and therefore it was very important to collect the first three points. There is a horizon for developing the level. Despite not counting a goal for us, we did not feel disappointed, but rather continued our advantage."

He praised his player, Ener Valencia, who scored both goals, saying, "He is a great player who makes great efforts on the field. He will play the match against the Netherlands without any doubt."

As for Valencia himself, who carries the armband of his country's national team, he said, "Indeed, we knew it was a difficult match, but we were able to get a good result through good play. We scored two quick goals and completely dominated the course of the game."

He added, "Since the draw, I have been dreaming of opening the scoring with my country. We were very focused and knew our ability to achieve a good result. I have some hope to play the next match, despite the injury to my ankle that I sustained during the match."