Alkass Digital
Qatar players and officials celebrate after qualifying for the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup football championship.
Qatar defeated Bahrain 2-0 in their final Group B match in Arad, Bahrain, to book a place in the finals on Sunday.
Qatar struck in the second half through Jassim al-Sharshani and Al Hashmi al-Hussein to secure their fourth straight win in the qualifiers. After a lackluster first half, Qatar stepped up the pace in the second.
Two minutes into the session, al-Sharshani fired in a superb volley to peg Bahrain back. Five minutes later, al-Hussein scored their second goal. Qatar had beaten Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh in their previous matches.
Qatar coach Inaki Gonzalez praised Al Annabi for their outstanding performance in the tournament. “We worked hard for the event and I am proud of my players. I am confident they will show a good performance in the finals too."
"We came to Bahrain with great ambitions. All the four matches were tough but we were able to come out victorious owing to teamwork,” said Gonzalez. Qatar topped the group with 12 points to march into the 16-team finals to be held in Uzbekistan in March 2023.