Qatari striker Sebastian Soria kicks to score against Moldova in their friendly match played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday. The game ended in a one-all stalemate.
Sebastian Soria scored early in the first half yesterday as Qatar battled to a gritty 1-1 draw against Moldova at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Veteran striker Soria defeated Modlova goalkeeper Alexei Ko?elev with a slick shot from outside the penalty box as home fans celebrated the team's first and only goal in the 3rd minute.
After a tense battle, Moldova produced the equaliser in the 24th minute when Andrei Cojocari levelled the score with a spectacular volley from the corner of the Qatar box.
Moments earlier Cojocari had narrowly missed Qatar crossbar following a powerful shot from 20 metres.
The teams shared the spoils in a game that was played more in the midfield than in the opposite corners of the pitch at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
During the break, both coaches - Igor Doborovolskiy of Moldovoa and Jorge Fossati of Qatar - made two changes to their playing XI as the two sides looked at giving match practice to their players.
Seven minutes into the second half, Mairton fired a missile from close range but his shot missed the target with Qatar goalkeeper Saad Abdullah Al Sheeb well beaten.
In what was the first meeting between the two sides, Qatar - ranked 85 in the world - walked with the kind of match practice they were seeking ahead of two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches to be played at the end of March.
