06 Feb 2015
Doha, 6 February 2015. The opening game of Aspire Academy's team at this year's 'Al Kass International Cup' could not have been better: the talented Qatari entertained the 500 spectators in the stands with a stunning performance on Friday night that secured not only a 6-1 win against Vissel Kobe, but also a spot in the quarter-finals.
Especially in the first half the players of Aspire Academy really showed mental strength and coolness: three out of four shots on the Japanese goal counted, giving them a 3-0 lead at halftime. "It was a good game, the players were very motivated and focused over 90 minutes. That was necessary, because we knew that our opponent had a tactically very strong team," said coach Ibrahem Mohamed Ahmed Al Shafai. The game eventually ended with a 6-1 triumph, where Khalid Al Naimi (4'), Meshaal Ibrahim Faraj (28', 32'), Hazem Ahmed Shehata (63', 87') and Amro Abdelfatah Ali Surag (65') shined as goalscorers for the Academy.
Saturo Hoda, head coach of Vissel Kobe, acknowledged the strong performance of Aspire: "We didn't find a way to stop them tonight. Like yesterday we had a good strategy, but problems when it came to scoring goals." Find out more about the 'Al Kass International Cup' onhttp://internationalcup.alkass.net.