(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Rizwan Rehmat / The Peninsula
Hosts Qatar yesterday opened their AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a convincing 2-0 win against Turkmenistan who struggled for most part of the match.
Star striker Akram Afif scored two early goals in the first half as the home team - coached by Felix Sanchez - made the most of their opportunities at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Earlier in the day, Syria crushed India with a similar scoreline in what was the opening match of the five-day event at the same venue.
'It was a great match. We have worked hard, Afif said after the match. 'The team played really well. It was good to get the points, he added.
'We hope to deliver another good performance in our next game, he said.
At the same venue tomorrow, Qatar will take on India in a game that starts at 8.00pm while Syria battle Turkmenistan.
Afif, who plays most of his football in Europe, was a lucky scorer in the 4th minute but his 15th minute striker sealed the deal for Qatar who played an astonishing eight friendlies in just six weeks in the build-up to the home event.
Watched by retired Danish football star Michael Laudrup and popular football elder statesman Bora Milutinovic from the stands on a steamy night, Qatar attacked from the word go to assert early dominance.
However, Turkmenistan defense battled to thwart any dangerous moves from the home side in the first three minutes.
Qatar, however, drew first blood in the fourth minute when Afif scored the opening goal following of a poor call by the linesman.
Qatar defender Moazz Abdullah charged into the Turkmenistan box and despite pressure from a couple of Turkmenistan defenders, he slipped the ball to unmarked Afif who easily deflected the ball into the net from close range.
The visitors contested that Abdullah had overstepped the goal-line before passing the ball to Afif but the linesman called in as the home team celebrated a fast opening goal.
If there was some debate on the first goal, Afif's second strike of the match in just the 15th minute just left the visitors demoralised.
Qatar captain Ahmed Moein - after receiving a ball in mid-field - spotted Afif on the right flank and despite being shadowed by Turkmenistan defender Hojodov Hoshgeldi, the Qatari forward exhibited greater speed and control by slipping the ball past goalkeeper Berdiyev Dovletyar.
In the 24th minute, Moein chipped in with a perfect long ball from the right flank but Abdalla's snap-header narrowly missed the Turkmenistan goalpost in another threatening move by the boys in maroon.
Six minutes later, Afifi found Moein unmarked inside the box but the latter's clip past the visitor's goalkeeper narrowly missed the target.
Turkmenistan clearly lacked coordination as Qatar players looked better organised for most part of the first half.
With three minutes to go before the first-half whistle, Qatar's Bassam Hisham curled in a superbly-taken free kick that narrowly missed the goalpost.
Qatar's only blotch in the dying seconds of the first half was the needless yellow card for star striker Afif who feigned a foul but Malaysian referee Suhaizi bin Shukri was not to be fooled.
Nine minutes into the second half, Turkmenistan produced a slick move as striker Rejebov Berdimyrat swivelled past Qatar's Hisham before unleashing a powerful shot with his left-foot but home goalkeeper Mohammed Ahmed put in the dive to stop the ball.
Qatar captain Moein, in a solo run in the 63rd minute, produced a low shot from the edge of the Turkmenistan box but the ball was neatly snapped by the goalkeeper who was seen limping moments ago.
With a yellow card in mind probably, Qatar coach Sanchez benched striker Afif replacing him with Nasser Hussain in the 68th minute.
In the dying seconds of the game, Qatar's Meshaal Qasim was booked by the referee for a needless tackle.
The points leaders at this event will book a berth at the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup final to be held in China next January.
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