Yousef Ahmed scored twice to give Qatar a 2-0 win over China on Wednesday and boost the host nation’s chances of advancing to the knockout round of the Asian Cup.
Ahmed gave Qatar the lead in the 27th minute and added the second in first-half injury time.
Qatar needed a win after losing their first match and went on the attack from the start, repeatedly breaking down China’s defense in the opening 30 minutes.
PHOTO: AFP
China, which beat Kuwait in their opening match, could not regroup in the second half against Qatar.
“We showed the real face of the Qatar team in this match,” Qatar coach Burno Metsu said. “I am very proud of their strong performance and we will try to do the same against Kuwait and advance to the quarterfinals.”
Qatar has billed the continental tournament as a test run for the 2022 World Cup, awarded to the tiny, oil-rich Gulf nation last month. Matsu’s squad has come under fire after losing the tournament’s opening match to face an early exit.
There was no other choice but to win against China, the French coach said.
“We gave our best and scored two goals and, although we missed many chances after that, I was happy,” Matsu said.
China coach Gao Hongbao is satisfied with the overall performance of a squad that has some of the youngest and least experienced players in the tournament. Gao blamed China’s malfunctioning attack for the defeat.
“We did not apply enough pressure in the game, so Qatar was able to organize attacks easily,” Gao said, adding that, with no player over 30, the match was still “a good experience for our young team.
“Our players can learn from this match. We lost the game, but losing is part of playing and we can do -better in the next game, which is more important to us,” Gao said.
China will next play Uzbekistan and Qatar will play Kuwait.
Uzbekistan lead Group A with six points, three more than China and Qatar. Kuwait have zero points.
At the last Asian Cup, China failed to advance from the group stage. The country’s soccer fortunes have dipped since 2002, with corruption and management problems compounded by the team failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2006 and last year.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just