Qatar battle it out for win over China

10/9/2015 1:31:52 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)Qatar’s Sebastian Soria (left) is challenged by a Chinese player during the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifiers at Al Sadd Stadium in Doha yesterday.

Qatar won 1-0. Report on page 19 Baher Amin

DOHA: Karim Boudiaf’s first-half goal was enough to see Qatar maintain their 100 percent record in Group C of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers as the reigning Gulf champions edged China 1-0 yesterday.

The France-born Lekhwiya midfielder scored the only goal of the game 22 minutes into the Match Day 4 clash at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium as Qatar chalked up their fourth win in as many matches.

The defeat not only sees China remain level with Hong Kong on seven points in the Group C standings five behind the leaders it also continues their poor record against Qatar in FIFA World Cup qualification.

Prior to yesterday’s Match Day 4 meeting China had won just once in seven FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Qatar - a 3-0 home win in the campaign to reach Asia’s first hosting of the tournament in 2002 - having also not tasted victory in Doha with the 1-0 loss following 1-1 draws in the qualifiers for France 98 and Japan/Korea 2002 before a goalless stalemate on the road to South Africa 2010.

In another Group C encounter in Thimphu yesterday skipper Ali Ashfaq scored a hat-trick to help the Maldives beat Bhutan 4-3 at the Changlimithang Stadium yesterday. The 2008 South Asian champions had a healthy 3-0 lead at the break but the hosts almost earned a share of the spoils after a brave second-half fightback.

Ahmed Nasheed opened the scoring after 11 minutes before Maldives skipper Ali Ashfaq who was yellow carded just three minutes into the game opened his qualifying campaign scoring book in the 23rd minute to double the lead.

The 30-year-old veteran striker then doubled his tally 10 minutes later to give Ricki Herbert-led Maldives a 3-0 advantage at the break.

Ashfaq who plays his club football for Malaysian Super League side PDRM FA duly clinched his triple with a penalty seven minutes after the interval before the hosts’ scored three times in the final five minutes to come close to denying the Indian Ocean islanders their first Group C victory.

Tshering Dorji reduced the deficit on the 85th minute mark before Bhutan scored again through Chencho Gyeltshen just three minutes later.

Biren Basnet struck one minute into stoppage time but Norio Tsukitate’s side ran out of time as the Maldives hung on to claim their first win of the qualifiers.

Meanwhile in Hanoi a Younus Mahmood penalty deep into second-half stoppage time helped Iraq draw 1-1 with hosts Vietnam.

Le Cong Vinh drew first blood with the three-time Vietnamese Player of Year’s 27th minute strike delighting the majority of the 10000-strong crowd at the My Dinh Stadium.

Cong Vinh’s first-half goal looked to have secured Vietnam’s second Group F win until veteran skipper Mahmood held his nerve to successfully convert from the spot seven minutes into additional time to earn a share of the spoils for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners.

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