By Samindra Kunti in Doha
November 27 – On Tuesday, hosts Qatar will bow out of their home World Cup with a final group game against the Netherlands after they were eliminated from the tournament by losing 3-1 to Senegal.
Around nine pm on Friday, the Netherlands’ Jurrien Timber was clutching his shirt and some Ecuador players sank to the ground, praying to the Gods. Following an absorbing contest, they shared the points, with the game finishing 1-1. The result was seismic for a different reason: after a 12-year build-up but only 180 minutes, hosts Qatar were out of their own World Cup, the first team to be eliminated at this edition.
It was a first competitive visit to the World Cup for Qatar that lasted just six days. A 2-0 defeat in the opening game by Ecuador had foreshadowed a difficult tournament for the hosts and those fears were confirmed against the Lions of Teranga. Ultimately, the gulf between Qatar and regular World Cup finalists proved all too big.
That’s despite years of investment to try and build a competitive side for the World Cup on home soil, the first in the Arab world. Qatar’s World Cup squad included 15 players that won the Asian Cup and 70% come from the Aspire Academy, but they were horribly mismatched.
“We are aware of how tough this competition is,” said Sanchez. ‘We wanted to go far but we know we had limitations as a country. It’s a small country, not a very large population. The local league is not a very competitive one.”
“It’s our first time at the World Cup. If we can take part again, that would be great. It’s always useful to get more experience.”
In 2024 Qatar will host the Asian Cup, the next target for the World Cup hosts.
“We have some young players and more experienced players… Our goal is very clear, we will have a generational shift. Some players will leave, others will come,” said Sanchez.
On Tuesday, Qatar will bid farewell to the World Cup with a match against Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands.
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