Provided by OSEN | 2024.01.30 03:02
[OSEN=도하(카타르), 고성환 기자] There was no surprise. ‘Defending champion’ Qatar defeated the attacked Palestine and progressed to the semi-finals.
Qatar advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 comeback win against Palestine in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup round of 16 2023 held at the Al Khor Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar at 1 am on the 30th (Korean time) .
Now Qatar’s next opponent will be the winner between Uzbekistan and Thailand. The two will face off in the round of 16 at 2:30pm on the 30th to decide which team will meet Qatar. The semi-finals will be held on the 4th of next month.
Qatar, the champion of the 2019 competition, is aiming for his second consecutive victory in this competition held in his country. They won all three games in the group stage and rose to first place in Group A.
As expected, the strength of the defending champion was immense. Qatar appeared to have stumbled after conceding the first goal to Palestine, but they quelled the underdog’s rebellion with powerful attackers including ‘ace’ Akram Afif, Hassan Alhaydos, and Alyez Ali.
Palestine dominated the initial atmosphere. In the 19th minute of the first half, Amid Mahazna aimed for the corner of the goal with a sharp shot in the middle range. However, the keeper flew away and knocked it aside. The Qatar defense also blocked the attack from the corner kick with a header.
Palestine swallowed his sorrow. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Qatar’s defender, Boualem Kuki, tried to clear the ball with a header but he took it backwards. Odai Dabbagh jumped in without missing the chance and fired a left footed shot, but it ended up going over the goal.
Palestine, which was gaining momentum, finally did its job. On the 37th minute of the first half, Dabbagh shook off two defenders with a bold dribble and scored the first goal with a low left foot shot. The ball passed between the defensive legs, hit the goalkeeper’s hand, and hit the net.
Qatar leveled the scores shortly before the end of the first half. On a corner kick opportunity in the 6th minute of added time in the first half, Afif sent a low, quick kick into the box, which Alhaydos connected with a right foot shot. The Palestinian defense tried their best, but the ball was deflected and sucked into the goal.
Qatar turned the game around as soon as the second half started. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Almoez Ali was tackled by Mohamed Saleh in the box and a penalty was awarded to him.
Aif stepped up as the kicker. He calmly deceived the goalkeeper and cut into the net to make it 2-1. With this goal, he recorded 4 goals in the tournament and rose to second place in scoring after Aymen Hussein (Iraq, 6 goals). Iraq were eliminated by losing to Jordan in the round of 16, so there is a good chance Afif will make a comeback.
Palestine, needing an equaliser, led the attack. Nevertheless, Daba’s header in the 19th minute of the second half went straight to the keeper, and Zaid Kunbar’s header in the 36th minute of the second half was easily caught by the keeper.
Qatar did not overdo it and focused on lowering the defensive line and not conceding goals. At the same time, they attempted a threatening counter-attack using Afif and Ali, looking for an opportunity to score an extra goal. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Afif’s free kick went just over the goal.
Seven minutes of extra time were given in the second half. But no more goals were scored. Qatar did well to block Palestinian attacks until the end and finished the game 2-1. In the end, Qatar advanced to the quarter-finals with a come-from-behind victory and continued its dream of winning the tournament for the second time in a row.
/finekosh@osen.co.kr
[저작권자 @머니투데이, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]
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