DOHA: Qatar's national team coach Felix Sanchez spoke of the importance of the 1-0 win over Bahrain in their opening FIFA Arab Cup game, stressing on his side's desire to get a good start to the tournament. Speaking at the press conference after the match, Sanchez said: "We aimed from the beginning to get a win and a good start, as the Arab Cup is a special challenge, as it will be the last big tournament before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals.” The coach also pointed out the importance of benefiting from such competitions, describing them as opportunities to perform well and to improve continuously. He added: “The match was difficult for both teams, especially since they know each other well." After a difficult first half, Sanchez said he changed the strategy in the second half and relied on speed in building attacks, which resulted in the winning goal. "All the players showed high technical levels throughout the 90 minutes, and made a great effort physically," said the coach, while expressing his hope that the team would be able to prepare physically and technically for the next game against Oman amidst time constraints. On the question of the pressure on the national team while playing the opening game at home, Sanchez said: "The players suffered from pressure during this match, but they were up to the responsibility and enjoyed playing and performing with high professionalism in front of this huge number of fans who supported them from the beginning to the end." For his part, Qatar national team star Akram Afif described the victory over Bahrain as a "great motivation", to continue the team's journey, to qualify for the next round and to compete for the title. He also congratulated the loyal Qatar fans who gathered in the stadium to support them. Speaking at the press conference, Afif said that missing opportunities is something that happens in football, but that "the most important thing is to work collectively and to improve the team's performance, in order to secure victory - which was achieved in the end thanks to teamwork." He added: "The opening matches are always difficult, especially with each team playing with caution, which was evident during the first half of the match, which ended without a goal, as there was more focus on defending than offensive attempts." Afif also remarked that holding the Arab Cup under the umbrella of FIFA is a unique idea, expressing his hope that this tournament will continue in the future in the same way.