The Peninsula
Qatar stayed perfect after beating Sri Lanka 5-0 at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 Qualifiers at the Khalifa International Stadium yesterday.
Qatar lead Group A with six points and will hope to continue their fine form against Syria on Sunday, while the defeat dashed Sri Lanka’s hopes of a first-ever appearance in the tournament with their final match against Yemen a chance for them to end their campaign with points.
Qatar took control of the match from the referee’s first blow of the whistle as they dominated possession but were unable to beat goalkeeper Gimhana as the South Asians defended in numbers. Sri Lanka, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Syria in their opening match, defended resolutely but their efforts were undone in the 27th minute when Mohammed Mushfir brought Hashim Ali down in the box, with the Qatari defender scoring from the resultant spot-kick.
Nicolas Cordova’s Qatar side scored their second goal in the 39th minute after Abdul Basith’s poor clearance saw Yusuf Abdurisag let loose a half-volley strike into the top right corner.
Qatar continued their command over the match after the break and were three goals up in the 54th minute when Ahmed Alganehi’s cross into the box was met by a diving header from Naif Alhadhrami.
Alganehi turned goal scorer seven minutes later when he surged down the pitch to collect a through pass before firing past ‘keeper Gimhana from a tight angle.
Qatar kept searching for more goals and got their fifth of the night when Ali slotted home from the penalty spot in the 90th minute after being brought down by Gimhana in the box.
Meanwhile in Dushanbe, Islamic Republic of Iran and group hosts Tajikistan set up a winner-takes-all Group B finale in AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 qualifying after both sides secured wins yesterday.
Iran earned a 2-0 win over Lebanon in the early match at Dushanbe’s Central Republican Stadium, before Tajikistan piled on the goals to beat Nepal 6-0 in the later game.