National team and Al Wahda club player Lucas Pimenta stated that he was unable to sleep for three consecutive days after the 'White' team's loss to Iraq in the Asian qualifying play-off matches, recently held in the city of Basra, which led to the team saying goodbye to their dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. He highlighted that the national team's participation in the upcoming Arab Nations Cup, scheduled to take place in Doha from December 1st to 18th, presents a valuable opportunity for him and his teammates to compensate for the failure to qualify for the World Cup. The national team was eliminated from the race for a World Cup spot in the final stage of the Asian qualifiers against the Iraqi team through a two-legged tie that ended 1-1 and 2-1 in favor of Iraq, who advanced to the intercontinental play-off scheduled for next March in Mexico. This was an easy opportunity missed by the team to repeat their World Cup qualification after the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Pimenta told 'Al-Ittihad Al-Youm' that he had gone through difficult times that he could not easily overcome, explaining: 'To be honest, I couldn't sleep for three days in a row after we failed to qualify for the World Cup. I felt as if I had lost a close and dear person. It was a very bad experience. But thanks to God, football gives us another chance to play other matches, a new opportunity to fight and show what we can offer on the pitch.' He added: 'Even when I played against Dibba Al-Fujairah in the league, I couldn't sleep well. My mind was still with the national team, and I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened during the past World Cup qualifiers and the opportunity we had to qualify for the World Cup.' He continued: 'Unfortunately, my feeling of physical discomfort continued due to my sadness over the result achieved by the national team. I believe that all these events were the cause of my injury in the match between Al Wahda and Qatar's Al Sadd the day before yesterday in the elite round of the AFC Champions League. I feel some discomfort and need to examine the matter well, and I hope everything is okay so that I can participate with the national team with all my strength in the Arab Nations Cup matches.' He added: 'We will join the national team again. For me, the Arab Nations Cup is very important because it is the tournament we are currently facing. We could not qualify for the World Cup, which was very painful, and we will do our utmost in this tournament. Every match will be of great importance to us.' Pimenta pointed out that the upcoming tournament represents an opportunity to showcase the team's fighting spirit and the players' skills, confirming that he and his teammates are fully focused on achieving the best results. He said: 'We know that every match in this tournament will be pivotal, so we are mentally and physically ready to give our best. This moment is a chance for us to regain our confidence in ourselves and demonstrate the team's capabilities to the Arab fans.' The Al Wahda player emphasized his strong commitment to the national team and his sincere desire to raise the country's name in the upcoming tournament, while maintaining optimal physical and mental condition to ensure a distinguished performance in every match. He noted that playing for the United Arab Emirates is one of the key milestones in his football career. Lucas Pimenta concluded his statements by confirming his personal commitment to the team: 'I feel a great responsibility towards my teammates and the fans, and I promise to participate with all my energy. This experience will be a lesson for all of us, and we must seize every opportunity to correct past mistakes and turn the pain of the World Cup qualification failure into a motivation for success in the upcoming tournament.'
