Kuwait city, Kuwait: Qatar’s head coach, Luis Garcia, commended his players for their tenacious performance in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the United Arab Emirates in their opening Group A match of the Arabian Gulf Cup on Saturday night. Akram Afif gave Qatar an early lead, confidently converting a penalty in the 17th minute. Reflecting on the match, Garcia acknowledged the strength of the opposition and praised his team’s resilience. "We knew this would be a challenging match against a strong competitor. My players delivered a strong, fighting performance," Garcia said after the match. "We retreated slightly after the first goal, but in the second half, the players showed great fighting spirit until the very last seconds. I am proud of their efforts on the field, and I believe the draw was a fair result." Garcia also highlighted Qatar’s promising start to the game, emphasizing that they could have extended their lead early on. "We began perfectly and had opportunities to double the score. However, the UAE team gained the upper hand in the second half. Despite this, we posed a significant threat with counterattacks and are overall satisfied with our performance," he said. Looking ahead, the Spanish coach expressed optimism about Qatar’s future matches, while noting the importance of refining their approach. "The time between matches is short, but we must work on addressing mistakes. I’m proud of what the players have accomplished and will focus on building on these positives to enhance our performance in the upcoming games," Garcia concluded. Qatar’s next challenges include a match against Oman on Tuesday, followed by a crucial encounter with hosts Kuwait on Friday.