Qatar recorded their biggest victory in international soccer when they eased past tiny Bhutan 15-0, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) handed Malaysia a 10-0 rout in Asian FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
Qatar’s win in Doha bettered their earlier record against Afghanistan and Lebanon, whom they had beaten 8-0 in the 1980s.
Bhutan, a remote Himalayan kingdom, known more for its philosophy of Gross National Happiness than for any notable sporting achievement — its national sport is archery — endured a nightmarish outing in Doha and trailed 8-0 at halftime in the Group C match that saw Ali Asad and Mohammed Muntari notch hat-tricks for the hosts.
Photo: AFP
Bhutan’s Japanese coach Norio Tsukitate had said before the match that his players were more worried about the desert heat than their opponents because they were more used to playing 2,400m above sea level, but although the match was held at the air conditioned Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Bhutan still struggled and failed to put up a challenge, allowing Qatar to score their second victory after a scrappy 1-0 win over the Maldives earlier in the tournament.
Malaysia’s 10-0 defeat to the UAE in Abu Dhabi was more surprising considering the South East Asians actually do boast a decent sporting culture.
However, by halftime UAE were 7-0 ahead leaving Malaysia with no chance to stage a comeback in the Group A match.
For the UAE, Ahmed Khalil scored four goals, while Ali Ahmed Makhbout had three as they notched up their second win in as many matches.
Guam’s fairytale start to the competition came to a shuddering halt when they were thrashed 6-0 by Iran in Tehran, while Singapore’s unbeaten run also ended when they were edged 1-0 by Syria in a Group E match played in Oman.
Saudi Arabia ensured the trend of big wins continued by crushing East Timor 7-0 with Mohammad al-Sahlawi bagging a treble, while Kuwait eased to a 9-0 win over Myanmar.
The second round of Asian qualifying features 39 teams and also doubles as a route to the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.
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