Coach confident his Lions will devour their prey

 Cambodian National Football team coach Augustin Ganzulez Dalmas (left) and skipper Thierry Chantha Bin 

Sri Lanka National Football Coach Abdulla AlMutairi (left) and skipper Sujan Perera briefing the media

  AFC Asia Cup Qualifier 2027

• Lion doesn’t consume vegetables

By Althaf Nawaz

Cambodia will take on hosts Sri Lanka today in their crucial clash for the AFC Asia Cup Qualifier 2027(Saudi Arabia) at the Race Course Stadium. 

Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

“Sri Lanka team cannot be underrated under any circumstances and we will have to strive hard to notch up victory tomorrow,” said Cambodian Head Coach Augustin Ganzulez Dalmas at a pre-match briefing held at the Football Sri Lanka (FSL) premises yesterday.

The Argentina born Augustin Ganzulez Dalmas who has been with the Cambodian team for 18 months after serving three years earlier made these remarks about his opponent’s, and said never under rate them as they have invested a huge amount on the national team, and with the players they now have, the team has been transformed into a major force in the region.

“Well, Sri Lanka will no more play second fiddle to any side in the region as they have invested a mammoth amount on the National team. They have got over ten professional players playing abroad, and more importantly, acquired an interim Head Coach (Abdulla AlMutairi) who is one of the prominent figures in the business in Asian football. Therefore, it is going to be a tough game for us,” said Dalmas.

When asked about the rankings of both teams, the visiting coach made the following observation. “The FIFA rankings are merely a number and no one can evaluate a team based on that. In modern times all teams are striving hard to raise their standard of the game and Sri Lanka is definitely one of them. They are a rejuvenated team than these rankings indicate and will showcase it sooner than later,” Dalmas further added.

The Cambodian team will be at full strength and this will be the curtain raiser for both teams in this competition, and the team having the highest aggregate in the two encounters will qualify for the next round of this competition.

On the other hand, speaking to the media on their final preparation, Abdulla AlMutairi looked pretty confident with his charges and hinted: “Sri Lankan fans are likely to witness a real brand of football tomorrow and we have drawn up some strategies to overcome our rivals. We have a very balanced combination with the inclusion of the professional players which Argentina is a big advantage for us. I hope and pray that skipper Sujan and his boys will deliver the goods for the country which is very much achievable.”

 “We carry the proud Lion logo on our jerseys and Lion doesn’t consume vegetables. Likewise, we are a strong nation determined and hungry to keep winning and my assumption is that from tomorrow people of this country will start talking about Football instead of Cricket,” concluded AlMutairi.