Recently, the 2021 Arab Cup entered the semi-final competition, with Qatar sitting at home against Algeria. The game was full of ups and downs, with Qatar equalising in 97 minutes and stubbornly dragging it into extra time. However, in the 107th minute of the match, Qatar was killed and missed the final 1-2. After the game, the Qatari players slumped on the pitch and even shed tears.
Although it is held on non-national team match days, the Arabian Cup, which is regarded as a test match for the World Cup, is still of high standard and has received the blessing of FIFA. Qatar has been on a smooth ride, having never met a strong team from North Africa before, winning all three games in the group stage and humiliating the UAE 5-0 in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-finals, Qatar took on algeria, which was equally strong, a contest between the ST Asian champions and the African champions. In the first half, the two teams exchanged white rolls, and the 59th point was scored in Beranburi, and Qatar fell behind 0-1.
In the 97th minute, Qatar erupted in a desperate situation, and Mohammed Montari staged a great draw, and the two sides scored 1-1 into extra time.
In the 107th minute, the Qatari defender was awarded a penalty for a foul inside the penalty area, and Berelli was saved, but he personally made up for it, and the score came to 1-2! The remaining matches, the two sides did not achieve anything, Qatar fell 1-2, unfortunately did not qualify for the final.
In fact, Qatar attaches great importance to the Arab Cup, and even hopes to win the title with the advantage of the host, but the reality is quite cruel, they fell before the final. The result was cruel for Qatar, with the final whistle blowing, many players directly kneeling on the ground and crying, while the Algerian team was in a frenzy, and the contrast between the two emotions was quite strong.
Since winning the Asian Cup in 2019, Qatar has embarked on a "training mode" and sought challenges everywhere. First of all, they replaced the national football team to participate in the 2019 Copa America, and as a result, they stopped the group stage and returned home early.
Entering 2021, Qatar was invited to participate in the Sino-American Gold Cup, this time they reached the final four, losing 0-1 to the United States in the semifinals. Subsequently, Qatar participated in the World Cup European qualifiers at its own expense, serving as a sparring partner for Portugal, Serbia and other European teams, conceding 23 goals in 10 games.
Counting the final four of this Arab Cup, it has been a background board for 4 times. Of course, Qatar has only one purpose for doing so, that is, to strive for more and stronger teams to improve their strength and play well in the World Cup at the end of next year. As a World Cup host, Qatar is reluctant to be a guest.
However, from the perspective of Qatar's training process, they have a clear gap in strength with the first-class teams in Europe, South America, North America and even Africa, and it is very difficult to break into the World Cup knockout rounds.