Guangzhou Evergrande forward Ai Kesen heaps praise on Qatar 2022 venue Al Janoub Stadium

Guangzhou Evergrande ahead Ai Kesen was massively impressed after enjoying at 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar venue Al Janoub Stadium within the ongoing AFC Champions League. He now goals to return to the venue in two years with the Chinese language nationwide staff to as soon as once more set foot on this stadium.

After placing in a man-of-the-match efficiency towards Japanese membership Vissel Kobe in Group G of the 2020 AFC Champions League, Ai Kesen admitted that quite a lot of onerous work lay forward for Li Tie’s staff to understand the dream.

“The stadium is wonderful and as a participant each probability to get to play in such good amenities is welcome,” mentioned Ai Kesen, who scored a chic free-kick throughout his facet’s 2-Zero win. The strike takes his AFC Champions League profession tally to 31, six shy of the event document held by the not too long ago retired South Korean veteran ahead Lee Dong-gook.

“I do know this [Al Janoub Stadium] goes to be a stadium for the World Cup. As a member of the Chinese language nationwide staff, in fact it’s my dream to return again with my staff right here in two years for the World Cup.”

Ai Kesen had grow to be the first-ever participant with out Chinese language ancestry to play for the nationwide staff when he was known as up for the nationwide staff in 2019 for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers after having accomplished his naturalization course of.

He has scored three objectives after enjoying in all 4 qualifiers performed until November 2019 with the outbreak of the COVID pandemic suspending the remaining fixtures which is able to resume in March 2021. 

Nevertheless, Ai Kesen has been a prolific presence in Chinese language soccer from 2013 when he first joined Guangzhou Evergrande. He has received 5 Chinese language Tremendous League titles since then – a complete of 4 of them together with his present membership in two separate spells and one with Shanghai SIPG.

The 31-year-old was additionally a member of the Guangzhou Evergrande facet which received the AFC Champions League in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

Regardless of being a high-flyer in membership soccer, the Brazilian-born ahead realizes that worldwide soccer is a special problem altogether and qualifying for Asia’s second FIFA World Cup remains to be a good distance.

“We all know we’ve a tricky street forward,” mentioned Ai Kesen. “It will be very tough however we don’t need to surrender and we nonetheless need to proceed to dream.”

China are presently positioned second in Group A of the second spherical of Asian qualifiers with seven factors from 4 matches – third-placed Philippines have an equal variety of factors however have performed an additional sport. Ai Kesen and his teammates can even have the benefit of enjoying on dwelling soil in a probably winner-takes-all sport towards the ‘Azkals’ in June 2021.

Al Janoub Stadium is without doubt one of the three absolutely accomplished 2022 FIFA World Cup venues that are getting used within the 2020 AFC Champions League, of which Qatar are the centralized internet hosting venue following the disruption of the unique dwelling and away format as a result of outbreak of the worldwide COVID pandemic in March this yr.

The 40,00Zero-capacity stadium, designed by the late Zaha Hadid, will host 2022 FIFA World Cup matches until the quarterfinal and was formally inaugurated in Could 2019. Al Janoub Stadium, positioned within the southern coastal metropolis of Al Wakrah, has hosted 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and 2019 Gulf Cup video games previous to being chosen as a venue for the centralized AFC Champions League.