I couldn’t sleep for 3 days after the loss to Iraq

The national team and Al-Wahda club player, Lucas Pimenta, said that he was unable to sleep for three consecutive days after the “White” loss to Iraq, in the Asian continent qualifiers that took place recently, in the city of Basra, and led to the team bidding farewell to the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, pointing out that the team’s participation in the upcoming Arab Cup, scheduled for Doha, from the first to the 18th of next month, is a valuable opportunity for him and his fellow players to make up for their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. World Cup.

The team was eliminated from the race to qualify for the World Cup in the last stage of the Asian qualifiers against the Iraqi team, through two back-and-forth matches that ended with scores of 1-1 and 2-1 in favor of Iraq, which advanced to the global playoff scheduled for next March in Mexico, thus wasting an easy opportunity for the team to repeat its rise to the World Cup after the World Cup in Italy 1990.

Pimienta told Emirates Today that he lived through difficult times that he could not overcome easily, explaining: “To be honest, I did not sleep for three consecutive days after we failed to qualify for the World Cup, as I felt as if I had lost someone close and dear to me, and it was a very bad experience, but thanks to God, football gives us another opportunity, to play other matches, and a new possibility to fight and show what we can offer on the field.”

He added: “Even when I played against Dibba Al-Fujairah in the league, I could not sleep well, and my mind was still with the national team, and I could not stop thinking about everything that had happened during the recent period during the World Cup qualifiers, and the opportunity we had to qualify for the World Cup.”

He continued: “Unfortunately, I continued to feel physical discomfort, due to my sadness over the result achieved by the national team, and I believe that all of these events were among the reasons for my injury in the match between Al-Wahda and Al-Sadd of Qatar, the day before yesterday, in the AFC Champions League for the elite. I feel some discomfort, and I need to examine the matter well, and I hope that everything will be well so that I can participate with the team with all my might in the Arab Cup matches.”

He added: “We will join the national team again, and for me the Arab Cup is very important, because it is the tournament we are currently facing, as we were not able to qualify for the World Cup, and that was very painful, and we will do our best in this tournament, and every match will be of great importance to us.”

Pimienta pointed out that the upcoming tournament represents an opportunity to show the team’s fighting spirit and the players’ skills, stressing that he and his teammates are putting all their focus on achieving the best results. He said: “We know that every match in this tournament will be pivotal, so we are mentally and physically prepared to give our best. This moment is an opportunity for us to restore self-confidence and show the team’s capabilities to the Arab fans.”

The Al-Wahda player stressed his strong commitment to the national team and his sincere desire to raise the country’s name in the next tournament, while maintaining optimal physical and mental performance to ensure a distinguished level of performance in every match, noting that playing for the UAE is one of the most prominent stations in his football career.

Lucas Pimienta concluded his statements by affirming his personal commitment to the team: “I feel a great responsibility towards my teammates and fans, and I promise to participate with all my energy, as this experience will be a lesson for all of us, and we must use every opportunity to correct past mistakes and turn the pain of failing to qualify into an incentive for success in the next tournament.”

. Farewell to the dream of the World Cup is a bad experience… as if I lost a dear person.

. We will join the national team again, and the Arab Cup is very important.

. We must use every opportunity to correct past mistakes.