WATCH: Qatar set to play the game of their lives against the UAE in the AFC Asian Cup semis

Qatari players will be looking to play the game of their lives as they take on hosts UAE in the semifinal of the AFC Asian Cup today.

Qatar has so far remained unbeaten in the tournament, keeping a clean slate throughout. They topped Group E with wins over Lebanon (2-0), North Korea (6-0) and Saudi Arabia (2-0) before beating Iraq 1-0 in a tough pre-quarterfinals.

They stunned favourites South Korea 1-0 to progress to the semifinal round for the first time in history. But the last-four game against the UAE will be their toughest test in the tournament so far.

The ongoing illegal blockade has ensured that there will be no Qatari fans to cheer the side on. On top of that, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council has controversially purchased all tickets of the match and distributed it free to UAE nationals to ensure Qatar does not have any ground support.         

“This is hurting us emotionally. But even if they allowed us to go, I wouldn’t go to the UAE because we’re just so scared of being in that place. It’s so dangerous for us,” Hamad Al Mansouri, a Qatari football fan, told Al Jazeera.

Showing sympathy for Qatar is punishable in the UAE, with a jail term of up to 15 years.

Dubbed the Blockade Derby, the match is the first meeting between the two regional rivals since the start of the Gulf crisis.

Analysts criticised the Emirati officials for ‘politicising Asian football’s flagship tournament.’

“The absence of fans from Qatar appears to mark a failure by the AFC to obtain sufficient assurance from the hosts that representatives from all participating nations will receive fair and equal treatment,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, author of The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics and Policy-Making.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Spanish coach Felix Sanchez is happy for his team to be labelled favourites in the game against the UAE and has backed his players to silence the haters once more.

“The players are aware that there’s pressure, but they’re dealing with it very well. We’re more confident under pressure,” he was quoted as saying by Gulf Times.

“Up to this point, it has been very demanding for us. But this group of players are mentally strong,” added the 43-year-old, who took over as head coach 18 months ago but has been involved with the current crop of players since 2006. 

“They’ve proven they can compete against the best teams in Asia and they’re still ambitious — they want to keep going.”

The winners will take on Japan, who defeated Iran 3-0 in the first semi-final yesterday. The final will be played on February 1. 

Qatar Football Association (QFA) Secretary General Mansoor Al Ansari urged his players to remain ‘focused’ and go into the crunch match without ‘distractions.’

“I think they’ve proved that they’re a much better side under pressure. They’ve handled pressure to their advantage. My message to our team is to remain focused. They should go into the match without any distractions around them. They need to focus on the match,” Al Ansari was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.

Qatar has faced problems since the start of the 24-team tournament. QFA Vice President Saud Al Mohannadi was initially denied entry into the UAE. A few hours later, a group of five Doha-based football journalists were sent back just before Qatar’s first match against Lebanon.

Qatar will be missing Abdelaziz Hatim and Bassam Al Rawi through suspension, but have Abdelkarim Hassan and Assim Madibo available once again after the duo served a one-match ban during the quarterfinal win over the Korea Republic.

The game will kick off at 5 pm Doha time.

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Photo credit: Al Jazeera