2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup: My players ain’t under pressure – Kuwait coach Cacau speaks ahead of Uzbekistan clash
Kuwait head coach Ricardo Cámara Sobral says he has absorbed the pressure off his players as they prepare to take on four-time runner-ups Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals of the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
Kuwait are currently ranked 44th in the Futsal World Ranking and comes up against the 24th-ranked Uzbekistan who reached the medal zone 9 times.
The tournament hosts finished in second place in Group A – scoring 11 goals and conceding 6 in a tough three-game spell that saw them record 2 draws and a win against Oman in a 7-2 drubbing.
During the last group game at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall on Saturday, the 5,000-capacity Arena was packed to capacity with fans chanting and beating drums to support Al-Azraq to record the all-important draw that helped them to book qualification to the quarter-final.
Local fans are expecting the side to reach the medal zone just like they did in 2003 and 2014. And, head coach Ricardo sounds very confident in managing the psychology of his players ahead of the game.
“I have absorbed the pressure myself and inspired my players with the confidence they need to enable them to win. The support of the fans is very good for the players. Both yesterday and today, I have had meetings with my players on the high press because it is a very key component of our game,” he said during the pre-match press conference,” he said during the pre-match press conference at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall Press Conference Room.
“Now it is a different game. We know that if we lose the game tomorrow we are out. So if we play the same style we know that we have a good chance to qualify. All the games we have played are at different motivations and different standards,” he added.
Uzbekistan, the other side, have also reached the final 4 times however the White Wolves are yet to win the ultimate.
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Source: Sports
