“The players performed admirably in terms of tactical discipline and adherence to instructions, which led us to an important victory, making what's ahead remain even more important,” said Garcia.

"I'm proud of the players' performance, and we have to continue this upward trend. I believe all the players in the national team know how important it is to win the three remaining matches.”

“The three points were a step towards correcting the course, and we look forward to continuing in the same vein, especially in the next round against Kyrgyz Republic in five days.”

Three goals in the space of 18 first half minutes through Akram Afif, Ahmed Alganehi and an own goal from Kim Yu Song put Qatar in a dominant position at the interval before further strikes from Ahmed Alrawi and Ahmed Alaadin put the seal on a comfortable win.

Captain Afif turned in another fine performance for the reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions as he also claimed three assists and just like his head coach, is determined to keep the run going.

“This victory was necessary at this sensitive time in the qualifiers,” said Afif. “We promise our fans that we will continue our efforts to achieve positive results in the upcoming matches to secure direct qualification to the World Cup.

"It was an important match, as we needed to win. We will try to continue our winning streak in the remaining three rounds.”