National team player Lucas Pimenta confirmed that the 'White' have not lost hope of qualifying for the intercontinental playoff from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, stressing that the team will fight to win against Iraq in the return match tomorrow at Basra International Stadium. Pimenta told 'Al Ittihad' that the UAE team will enter the match with no option but to win, explaining: 'We will play another 90 minutes after the teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Abu Dhabi. The chances are equal, despite Iraq's advantage of playing at their home stadium in front of their fans.' He added: 'We know that the match will witness a large popular attendance to support the Iraqi team, but in the end, it is a match that brings together 11 players from the UAE team against the same number of players in the opposing team.' Pimenta pointed to the strength of the Iraqi team, saying: 'The match will definitely not be easy, as we are playing against a strong opponent, which was evident in the teams' match in Abu Dhabi. But at the same time, we trust in our capabilities, as the national team includes players with great potential, and they have the ability to deal with the great enthusiasm with which the opponent will enter the match with the support of their fans.' He continued: 'We wanted to achieve a better result in the first leg, as we did not perform well in the first half, while the performance improved in the second half and we created more than one chance, but luck was not on our side to win. There is no room currently to think about the past match, and we must focus only on facing the return match and present everything we have to achieve victory.' Pimenta said: 'We knew from the beginning that the second match would be in Iraq, which makes the task more difficult, but whoever wants to qualify must be ready to play anywhere. The first match in Abu Dhabi ended in a draw, and there is a second match that will determine the identity of the team that will advance to the next round.' He spoke about the responsibility on the players, saying: 'Every player in the team feels the responsibility, as when you wear the national team shirt, you carry the dream of an entire country, and I am proud to represent my country and happy with the trust the technical staff gave me... my duty is to give everything I have on the field and help the team achieve its goal.' He added: 'Joining the national team has always been a dream for any player, and I live this dream in all its details, whether in the beautiful or difficult moments, and we are now in a stage that needs everyone to stand together, and we will fight until the end to qualify, and we will try to play with confidence, and present strong football that befits the name of the national team.' He concluded: 'The belief in our ability to qualify has not changed despite the difficulties, and we will make every possible effort to achieve a positive result against Iraq, because we know that winning this match will be a turning point on our way to the World Cup, and we must show our personality on the field and prove that we deserve to be among the greats'.
