Alkass Digital
Qatar National Football team started their campaign in Group A of the European qualifiers for the World Cup (Qatar 2022) by defeating Luxembourg 1-0, in the confrontation that brought them together this evening at "Nagyerdei Stadion" stadium in the city of Debrecen, Hungary.
The maroons owe the victory to their striker Mohamed Muntari, who scored the only goal of the match in the 13th minute of the first half.
In the second qualifying match, next Saturday, the Qatari team will face the Azerbaijani national team, and they will meet the Irish national team on the 30th of March. The Qatari teams participation in these qualifiers is a historic opportunity for them to prepare in the best and most complete way for their participation in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The start of the match came with much caution from both sides considering that this is the first confrontation between the two teams, and with the first 15 minutes gone, the Qatari team took the initiative to attack and tried to confuse the opponent early on, especially after Luxembourg had to substitute one of their players because of an injury.
The Maroons continued pressure on the Luxembourg national team, until striker Mohamed Muntari, successfully converted Al-Moez Ali's cross after a defensive error from the opponent's player and put the ball into the net in the 13th minute.
In the 16th minute, the right-back Pedro Miguel went up front giving a cross to Al Moez Ali, who hit a powerful ball, but the Luxembourg defender cleared the ball from the goal line to prevent Qatar from scoring their second goal.
On the other hand, Luxembourg tried to make several comebacks, through well-played counterattacks, resulting in two corner kicks, one of which almost resulted in the equalizer, after which the Qatari team retreated slightly in front of the pressure of their opponent, who strongly sought to equalize, except defender Bassam Al-Rawi and his colleagues stopped the opposition from reaching the goal.
Qatari goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb also stood in the way of the successive attacks form Luxembourg, where he succeeded in reducing the danger of the opponent's players and dealing with dangerous balls, just as he removed another ball that was on its way to the net. After that, the Maroons regained their balance and led an organized attack, but the Luxembourg goalkeeper stopped striker Al-Moez Ali, and removed the ball to a corner kick.
In the 41st minute, the crossbar prevented Luxembourg's national team from adjusting by a header, also having kept the pressure but the referee's whistle ended the first half with a Qatari lead.
Luxembourg entered the second half strongly, repeating the scenario of the first half, and was the best team in terms of building attacks and possession of the ball, while The Maroons relied on counter-attacks and closed its defensive gaps, fearing an equalizer. In one of the counterattacks, striker Muntari missed a real opportunity to score the second But he sent the ball towards Luxembourg's goalkeeper.
The Qatari national team made their first substitution taking out Muhammad Muntari, substituting him, Ahmed Alaa, in order to have a fresh player on the offensive line and revitalize it more, especially since the Qatari team did not succeed in creating real opportunities staying only goal up.
As a result, the Qatari national team surprised Luxembourg with a counter-attack led by Hassan Al-Haydos, who successfully penetrated and passed the ball to Pedro Miguel, who aimed a strong ball, but the crossbar prevented him from scoring the second goal for the Maroons.
Both teams continued to display a high level of football on the playing field but Luxembourg's national team remained unable to score the equalizer. On the other hand, the Maroons succeeded in maintaining their progress relying on counterattacks that became a constant threat to the defense of their opponents, especially when Al Moez Ali had a valiant effort infront of the goal but was denied by the keeper.
Qatar national team, Spanish coach Felix Sanchez made his second sub, taking out captain Hassan Al-Haydos to be replaced by Salem Al-Hajri in order to preserve the result at the beginning of the Qatari team's this historical participation. The Serbian referee, Milos Djordic, declared a red card towards Luxembourg's player Aldin Skenderovic after a violent intervention On the Qatar national team player Pedro Miguel in the 88th minute.
The Qatari team almost ended the confrontation with a second goal, after defender Pedro Miguel tried to surprise the Luxembourg goalkeeper with a deceptive strong ball, but luck stumbled again, and the crossbar refused the ball entry.
The referee of the match, Serbian Milos Djordic, counted four minutes of stoppage, during which the Qatar national team's competitor got a direct free kick that the defense turned into a corner, after which he blew his whistle announcing the Qatari team's victory 1-0 in first round of the European qualifiers for the World Cup Qatar (2022) .
The European Football Association (UEFA) had invited the Qatar Football Association to participate in the European qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022), in a move that reflects the position of the State of Qatar on the international sports arena.
There is no doubt that this participation in the European qualifiers will benefit the Qatari team in the World Cup (Qatar 2022) in the best possible way, given the strength, enthusiasm and excitement of the European confrontations, and the great experience that these confrontations will provide to the players.