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Gulf Cup of Nations champions Qatar experienced a relatively easy run into the 2015 AFC Asian Cup with four wins, one draw and one loss during their six qualifying matches. Qatar showed their ability in front of goal, netting 13 times. Their only loss came against fellow Asian Cup finalists Bahrain. |
Qatar’s first match came against Malaysia where they recorded a 2-0 victory. After a scoreless first-half, star midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim struck in the 55th minute. In what looked to be a 1-0 victory to Qatar, striker Yusef Ahmed struck in extra time to give the home side a well-deserved 2-0 win.
Next, Qatar travelled to Bahrain where they suffered their only defeat of the qualification campaign. Played in front of an underwhelming crowed in Riffa, Qatar fell behind after Faouzi Aaish netted a goal in the 20th minute. The score remained 1-0 and handed Qatar their only defeat.
The Qatari side bounced back following the Bahrain defeat in emphatic fashion when they handed Yemen a 6-0 defeat in Doha. After Khalfan Ibrahim put his side a goal up through a fourth minute penalty, Hassan al-Haidos found the only other goal of the first half.
The flood gates opened in the 61st minute when Ibrahim struck to claim his second goal of the match. Veteran captain Sebastian Soria then pencilled his name into the scoresheet when he netted a goal in the 70th minute before Ibrahim secured his hat-trick when he found the back of the net six minutes later. The final nail in the coffin came one minute into extra time when Ali Afif scored Qatar’s sixth goal of the match to record an impressive win.
Djamel Belmadi’s men again faced Yemen in their following match. Although not as definite as their previous victory, Qatar still recorded a dominant victory over their less-fancied opposition with a 4-1 victory.
Inspirational captain Sebastian Soria opened his sides account in the third minute before Abdelkarim Hassan took the Qatari side’s lead to 2-0 at the main break. Second half striked to Mohammed Kasola (54’) and Mohamed El-Sayed (68’) ensured Qatar were victorious in two from two matches.
Qatar next travelled to Shah Alam where they met a spirited Malaysian side. In what was a relatively uneventful match, a determined home side kept the visitors to a 0-all scoreline at half time. After the half, Qatar broke the deadlock when midfielder Abdulkarim al-Ali broke the deadlock in the 65th minute. The scoreline remained 1-0 to Qatar and gave the away side a crucial victory before their final qualification match.
In their final match, Qatar played host to group leaders Bahrain in Doha. Played in front of a 12,000 strong crowd, neither side was able to take advantage of their opportunities as the score remained at 0-0 when the final whistle was blown.
By the conclusion of qualifying, Qatar finished with four wins, one draw and one loss from their six games. Pitted in a tough group at the AFC Asian Cup with FIFA World Cup contender Iran, the UAE and Bahrain, Qatar will hope their recent Gulf Cup of Nations victory can provide them with the form they’ll need to progress to the knock-out stage of the tournament in January.
Qatar name youthful squad for Asian Cup
Doha: Gulf Cup of Nations champions Qatar have selected a wealth of youth to give them the best chance of success at January’s AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015.
The most notable omission from the squad was veteran captain Sebastian Soria who earlier this year recorded his 100th cap. New additions include Lekhwiya SC striker Mohammad Tresor Abdullah and in-form midfielder Mohammed Muntari of El Jaish SC who will be hoping to impress on the big stage in January. Qatar, who reached the quarter-final stage at the 2011 Asian Cup, face a tough assignment at next year’s AFC Asian Cup having been placed in a difficult Group C alongside Iran and the UAE.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Saad al-Sheeb, Ahmed Sufyan.
Defenders: Ahmadi Ali Mukhtar, Abdelkarim Hassan, Ibrahim Majid, Mohammed Musa, Khalid Muftah, Abdulrahman Issa, Abdulaziz Hatem, Qassem Burhan, Bilal Mohammed.
Midfielders: Khalfan Ibrahim, Ali Assadalla, Karim Boudiaf, Mohammed Muntari, Majed Mohammed, Khaled al-Zereiqi, Boualem Khoukhi, Ahmed Abdel Maqsoud.
Forwards: Hassan al-Haidos, Ismaeel Mohammad, Mohammed Tresor Abdullah, Meshaal Abdullah.
