Qatar kicked off their 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Malaysia in Doha on Wednesday.
The game marked Fahd Thani’s first official match in charge of Al Annabi. The 39-year-old Qatari coach replaced Brazilian Paulo Autuori last month after the team’s poor performance in the Gulf Cup.
After a goalless first half that saw few real chances for both sides, Khalfan Ibrahim opened the score for the home side with a free-kick that took a deflection on its way to Khairul Fahmi net.Yusuf Ahmed sealed the victory for Al Annabi in injury time with an easy finish after a perfect pass from his fellow substitute Maged Mohamed.
In the other Group D game, Bahrain defeated Yemen in Dubai 2-0 thanks to goals from Faouzi Aayesh and Saad Al Amer.Qatar’s next game will be away against Bahrain on March 22nd. The Qatar Football Federation held talks with their Bahraini counterparts and AFC to postpone the match, as the Qatari team will have to fly to South Korea few days later to face the Taeguk Warriors in a crucial FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier, but their request was denied.
Australia is set to host the final tournament in 2015.
The TeamsAustralia is set to host the final tournament in 2015.
Qatar: Qassim Burhan – Hamed Ismael, Abdul Karim Hassan (46’ Mohamed El Sayed “Jeddo”), Ibrahim Maged, Ibrahim Al Ghanem, Khaled Moftah – Abdul Aziz Al Sulaiti, Talal Al Baloushi, Hassan Al Haidos (88’ Yousef Ahmed), Khalfan Ibrahim – Sebastian Soria (76’ Maged Mohamed) – Coach: Fahd Thani
Malaysia: Khairul Fahmi – Mahalli Bin Jasuli, Mohamed Asraruddin(81’ Taj Tajjuddin), Mohamed Fadhli, Mohamed Zafuan, Reuben Kathirpillai – Mohamed Shakir, Mohamed Muhymeen (63’ Abdul Hadi bin yahya), Azzamuddin Akil, Mohamed Shamsuddin (68’ Mohamed Farhan) – Mohamed Bin YahyaWatch the Goals
