DOHA (Qatar): Talented midfielder Osama Omari aspires to lead Syria to their maiden FIFA World Cup in two years’ time in Qatar.
Omari, who plays at the Qatar Stars League with Al Kharaitiyat, are determined to emulate and, hopefully, eclipse their performance from the Asian Qualifiers for Russia 2018, when they managed to make the play-off only to lose to Australia.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Malaysia, Syria moved tantalisingly close to an Intercontinental play-off berth when Omar Al Somah gave Ayman Hakeem’s charges the lead.
However, a brace from Socceroo legend Tim Cahill shattered Syria’s dreams and secured his side a 3-2 aggregate win and a showdown with Honduras.
“We had several key absences and had to play two games in 10 days. Moreover, we had to travel quite a distance from Malaysia, where we played the first leg, to Sydney for the return,” Omari told FIFA.com.
“Our coach Ayman Hakeem could only count on 11 players, which took its toll on us. Moreover, we were reduced to 10 men when Mahmoud Al Mawas was sent off four minutes into the first period of extra time,” he added.
Omari, who scored four goals during the Russia 2018 Qualifiers, said: “We played very well and learned many lessons from that. Now I hope we can make Qatar 2022.”
With five wins from their opening five games in the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, Syria lead the way in Group A ahead of China PR, Philippines, Maldives and Guam.
Asked for the secret behind that fine run of form, Omari revealed: “After we’d been eliminated from the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at the group stage, we were determined to leave behind the resulting negativity and turn over a new page. We then won all our games and are currently top of the group.”
their group opponents, he said: “There are several contenders, but China are our main rivals. However, the players, the technical team and the federation are desperate to guide Syria to Qatar 2022, and we’re determined to make it happen.”
