Qatar ease past Yemen 4-0

KUWAIT CITY: Defending champions Qatar on Saturday crushed Yemen 4-0
to open their Gulf Cup campaign in convincing fashion.
Coached by Felix Sanchez, Qatar scored three goals in the first 18
minutes as Akram Afif (2), Mehdi Ali Mukhtar (5) and Almoaz Ali (18)
stunned the backline of Yemen in the Group B encounter.
Pedro Miguel scored the fourth goal in the second half (84) to
complete Qatar’s resounding win at the Kuwait Sports Club Stadium
where chilly playing conditions prevailed throughout the match.
Qatar opened the scoring through Afif in just the second minute of the
Group B clash on the lush green pitch at Kuwait SC Stadium.
Afif, on a cross by Ismail Mohammed, jumped high in the air to produce
a snap-header deflecting the ball into the net from close range.
With barely time to settle down for the Yemen side, Qatar defender
Mukhtar headed home from close range following a goalmouth melee.
In the 7th minute, Ahmed Abdulkareem of Yemen clipped a low ball from
the flank but teammates Abdullah Mohammed and Mohsen Hassan both
failed to connect the ball from barely three feet of the Qatari goal.
In the 11th minute, Yemeni midfielder Abdullah Mohammed curled in a
ball for defender Mohammed Fawad who – standing inside the Qatari box
– headed the ball just above the crossbar.
Two minutes on and Qatar nearly added to their score but Ali’s header
from close range – on a cross from Afif – was smartly grabbed by Yemen
goalkeeper Mohammed Ibrahim.
A few moments later, Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos fired a bullet
from a few feet of the Yemeni goal but ‘keeper Ibrahim successfully
punched the ball away.
Qatar jumped to a 3-0 cushion in the 17th minute when Ali – the Qatari
U-23 star – closed out a smart deflection from close range following a
cross by Ismail Mohammed stationed on the flank.
In the 34th minute, Qatar’s goal hero Ali produced a sliding tackle to
clear the ball with Yemen’s Mohsen Mohammed set to get an unmarked run
towards the Qatari goal with only keeper Saad Al Sheeb to beat.
In a sporting gesture roundly cheered roundly by the crowd, Qatar
striker Al Haydos – with his tail up and nose towards the Yemen goal –
flicked the ball out of play as two Yemen players called for medical
assistance just seconds from the first-half whistle.
At the one-hour mark, Yemen’s Abdulhakeem – exhibiting great speed –
curled in a beautiful shot from the edge of the Qatar box but his shot
was saved by diving ‘keeper Al Sheeb.
In the 74th minute, Qatar’s Ismail Mohammed smashed a powerful shot
into the the Yemeni goalpost much to the dismay of the Qatar
supporters who easily numbered into hundreds.
With Yemen showing signs of disarray, Miguel in the 84th minute headed
home from close range for Qatar’s fourth goal.
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