Qatar vs. Colombia: Factbox
Qatar
**The road to New Zealand
Qatar are making their return to the FIFA U-20 World Cup after a
20-year absence, courtesy of winning their maiden AFC Asian U-19
Championship crown in October 2014. Recording two wins and a draw to
top Group D, the Qataris then overcame China PR in the last eight and
saw off host nation Myanmar in extra time in the semis. After checking
into the final for only the second time in their history, the Qataris
defeated Korea DPR 1-0 to secure the continental title and with it a
third U-20 world finals appearance after Australia 1981 and Qatar
1995.
** Strengths and style
Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez built his team for the Asian
finals around a core of Europe-based players, among them striker Ahmed
Al Saadi and midfielder Ahmad Moein, both of whom play their club
football for Eupen in Belgium. While Al Saadi top-scored in the
tournament with five goals, Moein made off with the Most Valuable
Player award. Meanwhile, forward Akram Afif found the back of the net
in every game in the knockout phase, including the final.
** The coach
Sanchez stepped up from the Qatar U-17 job to take the reins of the
national U-19 team from Dutchman Marcel van Buuren last year. After
steering his side to the Asian finals with a 100 per cent record in
qualifying, he then saw them go undefeated to win the title, an
impressive run he will be aiming to extend at New Zealand 2015.
** FIFA U-20 World Cup record
– This is Qatar’s third appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
– The Qataris took part in the 1981 and 1995 tournaments, losing to
Germany in the final on the first of those occasions and going out in
the group phase on the second.
** What they said
“I am pleased with this performance because the players have done
really well from start to finish. I’ve enjoyed working with them in
this competition and what we’ve achieved together is extraordinary,”
Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez.
Colombia
** The road to New Zealand
Despite failing to retain the trophy they lifted in 2013, Colombia
blossomed as the South American U-20 Championship wore on and bowed
out on a high by clinching the runners-up spot for the second time in
their history. Los Cafeteros advanced from Group B in third place
following wins over Chile and Venezuela and narrow losses to fellow
FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 qualifiers Brazil and Uruguay.
However, they stepped it up a notch in the final six-team round-robin
phase, going unbeaten thanks to draws with Paraguay, Argentina and
Uruguay and impressive victories over Peru and Brazil.
** Style and strengths
Mirroring the philosophy of the senior team, Colombia’s game plan is
based on bossing possession and smart movement. This combination
prevents the defence from being overworked and allows the side to
conserve energy by not having to chase games, while also making it
possible to get plenty of players into attacking positions. This was
evident in Uruguay, where they peaked at the business end of the
competition, had one of the best defensive records (conceding just
five times in nine matches) and boasted six different scorers on the
way to racking up 12 goals.
** The coach
Carlos Restrepo has been there, done it and got the T-shirt with
Colombia at U-20 level, having first helped his country reach the
world finals in the age group way back in 1993 (though he left before
the tournament in Australia). He repeated this feat in 2013, guiding
his side to the round of 16 in Turkey after taking up the reins again
the previous year. A calm and collected thinker, the 53-year-old has
also enjoyed success at club level, picking up silverware in each
decade of a career that has featured stints in his homeland, Costa
Rica, Venezuela and Honduras.
** FIFA U-20 World Cup record
New Zealand 2015 will mark Colombia’s ninth appearance at the U-20
World Cup and their third in a row, having hosted the event in 2011
and qualified for the last edition in Turkey. Their best performance
came at UAE 2003, where Reinaldo Rueda led them to a third-place
finish.
** What they said
“We gave a good account of ourselves and showed we’re still a force to
be reckoned with. We’ve made it to the World Cup again and now the
onus is on us to keep working hard to continue our progress. We lacked
a little bit of ruthlessness, otherwise we could have been in
contention for the title. There’s still more to come from this squad.”
Colombia coach Carlos Restrepo.
Group C draw
Qatar vs Colombia 1pm, May 31, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Portugal vs Senegal 4pm, May 31, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Qatar vs Portugal 4pm, June 3, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Senegal vs Colombia 7pm, June 3, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Senegal vs Qatar 1pm, June 6, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Colombia vs Portugal 1pm, June 6, Otago Stadium, Dunedin