The national team goalkeeper, Khaled Issa, revealed exciting details about the training that preceded the “White” match against Kyrgyzstan in the fifth round of the third stage of the Asian continent’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, noting that he and his colleague Ali Khaseef held an important meeting with the “White” players. It was a “warning bell,” as he put it, that prepared the team for a valuable victory over Kyrgyzstan with three unanswered goals, last Thursday, to lift the “white” team. His score is seven points in third place in Group A, while he faces a fateful confrontation against Qatar, the day after tomorrow, in the sixth and first round of the return stage, at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Khaled Issa confirmed to “Emirates Today” that the victory achieved by the national team over Kyrgyzstan is of great importance, speaking about the scenes that preceded the match, saying: “There was a great focus from the players during training, while Ali Khasif and I held a meeting with the players on the night that Before the match, we emphasized that we had no alternative but to win.”
He added: “We stressed one thing, which is that the match means to us (to be or not to be), because losing means the end of hope once and for all, while winning restores hope to us and helps us put pressure on the competitors.”
He continued: “The players were up to the responsibility and played a great match, and now we have to prepare well for the next match against Qatar.”
He added: “Confidence was present among the players before the match, but it definitely increased and increased after the victory.”
In response to a question about the impact of Iran’s victory over South Korea, and Qatar’s victory over Uzbekistan, on the national team’s chances of competing for two direct qualification tickets to the 2026 World Cup, he said: “We do not think about the results of other matches, and our focus is only on our own matches, where We must play with the principle (serve yourself first), while other matters and the results of competitors have nothing to do with us, and it is in the knowledge of the unseen whether they will serve us or not in our interest.
On the other hand, Khaled Issa praised the role of the fans in supporting “Al-Abyad” during the matches, and said: “The UAE fans are in my eyes and on my head, and they have all respect, as they have many stances with the team throughout its history.”
He continued: “The public’s anger at the players and the team’s results is a (reproach of love), and we apologize to them for any negligence that occurred in the recent period.”
He concluded: “For our part, we will try to offer what is dear and precious, and work to put a smile on their faces. We are happy that they came out happy in the last match against Kyrgyzstan, and we are waiting for their strong presence in our match against Qatar, and for Al Nahyan Stadium to witness a large audience presence that will help us achieve victory.” ».
Khaled Issa:
• The players are responsible. We must now prepare well for the Qatar match.
• We play with the principle (serve yourself first), and we do not pay attention to the results of competitors.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news
