1 week Ago
Doha: Qatar coach Marquez Lopez on Saturday called up seasoned Al Duhail winger Edmilson Junior and Al Rayyan starlet Ahmed Al Rawi to reinforce the squad ahead of the World Cup qualifying tie against North Korea. While striker Al Rawi has represented the two-time Asian champions on five occasions before, Edmilson Junior has joined the national side for the first time. Representing Al Duhail since the 2018 season, the 30-year-old is among the popular names on Qatar’s domestic football circuit scoring 47 goals besides 42 assists during his long stint with the Red Knights.
Born in Belgium, Edmilson Junior, a son of former Brazilian footballer Edmilson, has never played international football. His selection came following the completion of procedures as he was eligible to be naturalised, arriving in Qatar six years ago. Meanwhile, Al Rawi has made five appearances for Al Annabi including games during the second round of World Cup Qualifiers when Qatar topped their group.
The 20-year-old has also featured for Qatar junior teams including the national Olympic squad. He is younger brother of experienced defender Bassam, who is also a part of the current Qatar squad. The Lopez’s side is hoping to bounce back after suffering from a 3-1 to defeat to the United Arab Emirates in their first Group A match at home on Thursday.
They will travel to Laos to meet the North Koreans on Tuesday in their second game in the third round of World Cup Qualifiers. The loss against UAE has put them on the bottom of the six-nation group but Lopez is confident his team will make a turnaround in Tuesday’s game. “We still have nine matches remaining and we will make a comeback.
We will put our best efforts to compensate for mistakes in the opening match,” the Qatar coach had said after the match against UAE. “I am confident in my players’ ability that they would be better against North Korea as we seek three points against them.” North Korea were beaten by Uzbekistan 1-0 in their first match on Thursday.
The top two teams from the group will earn direct qualification for the World Cup..
