Qatar Survives Scare to Reach Asian Cup Quarter-Finals

Defending champions Qatar displayed their resilience and secured a spot in the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Palestine at Al Bayt Stadium. The thrilling encounter saw Qatar’s Hassan Al-Haydos and Akram Afif find the back of the net.

Qatar, with their incredible winning streak of 11 matches in the Asian Cup, will next face the winners of the last-16 tie between Uzbekistan and Thailand at the same venue. The defending champions, led by coach Marquez Lopez, were under pressure to perform on their home turf where almost 64,000 fans came out in support.

As the game began, a moment of silence was observed as a mark of respect for the victims of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Some fans were heard expressing their support for Palestine by shouting “Free Palestine”. Once the match commenced, the focus shifted to the action on the field.

Palestine, making their debut in the Asian Cup knockouts, started strongly and posed a threat to Qatar in the first half. Their persistence paid off in the 37th minute as Oday Dabbagh stole the ball, embarked on a solo run, and fired a shot into the bottom corner, notching his third goal of the tournament and Palestine’s first-ever in the knockout stage. The goal was met with applause from both sets of fans.

Qatar, however, remained composed despite falling behind. They equalized just before halftime when Al-Haydos capitalized on Afif’s low cross from a corner and tucked it past two defenders and Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamadeh. The goal injected new energy into the Qatar side as they came out firing in the second half.

Afif stepped up and converted a penalty after Almoez Ali was brought down by a late sliding tackle from Mohammed Saleh. The goal in the early stages of the second half put Qatar in the lead and they held on to secure the victory. Palestine had a few opportunities to level the game, but their finishing lacked precision and Qatar’s defense held firm.

Qatar’s victory was celebrated, but coach Lopez expressed understanding towards the fans showing support for Palestine. He acknowledged the brave performance of Palestine’s players and highlighted the importance of the qualification for the next round. Makram Daboub, coach of Palestine, praised his team’s efforts despite the loss and expressed pride in representing the Palestinian people.

Qatar, having conquered another stern challenge, will now gear up for the quarter-finals, while Palestine will regroup and strive to perform better in future games, hoping to make their dedicated supporters proud.