Brazilian Eduardo Rodrigues (Dudu) of Al Duhail possesses high technical skills and potential. He is playing in the Qatar Cup for the first time.

Dudu spoke to qsl.qa in an Exclusive Interview ahead of their 2021 Qatar Cup final against Al Sadd on Friday, 26th February.

How do you see your participation for the first time in the Qatar Cup?

Certainly, it’s exciting for me, especially since it’s the first time that I competed in the tournament, but this is an incentive and motivation for me to provide the best and help my team win this important tournament.

Describe the atmosphere you experienced in the semifinal against Al Gharafa?

The atmosphere was good and I noticed the great interest on the part of the club’s management in this tournament and the need to work on appearing well in it and achieving victory.

Al Duhail beat Al Gharafa, you played in a good form and won the best player award. How was the match?

The match wasn’t easy. We faced a team that was good at playing well defensively, which made it difficult for us. But the fighting spirit that my team-mates displayed helped us achieve victory. The award for the best player in the match is not for me alone, but for all my team-mates, because everyone did what was required.

How do you see the final against Al Sadd?

The match won’t be easy for both teams, but focus will be the key to crowning and we’re keen on putting up a performance that satisfies our fans.

Al Sadd beat Al Duhail in the 2020 Qatar Cup final. Is your team able to compensate for it this time?

There’re some circumstances surrounding the team that made its level decline, but now the situation is different after the good results we’ve achieved of late. Our participation in the FIFA Club World Cup boosted the morale of our players and the team will be ready for the final.

How difficult will be this match, which is different from league matches?

That’s true, cup matches are different from league matches, but as I said, focus is what will lead us to achieve the result we want. The difficulty of the match comes from the fact that there’s no compensation for losing it.

Are Al Duhail able to regain the Qatar Cup, which the club won twice before?

Al Duhail are a team that loves to become champions and have standout players in all departments of the game. That means we’re ready for this game and we’ll do our best to regain the title.

Which team has more chances to win the cup?

Both teams are motivated and the team that succeeds in implementing the technical plan drawn up by the coaching staff will be the one with more chances to win the cup.

What do you think are the main strengths and weaknesses of each team?

These strengths and weaknesses are on the cards, but on the field they’re different. This is a cup match and everyone will work hard to achieve victory in it.

Some believe that the team level fluctuates between ups and downs. What do you think the reason is?

All clubs in the world go through such stages and they accompany the process of change within the team, either by changing players or technical staff. But of late, our team has been showing stability in all games we’ve played.

What’re your goals this season?

Definitely, winning titles and performing well in the AFC Champions League.

What’s your ambition at a personal level with Al Duhail?

I’m a professional footballer and my ambition with every team I play is to help it achieve its ambitions in all tournaments it competes in. I will work hard with my team-mates to achieve this.