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Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al Sulaiti (left) fights for the ball with Malaysia’s Mahalli Bin Jasuli during their 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifying match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, yesterday. Qatar won 2-0.
DOHA: Two goals in the second half propelled Qatar to a 2-0 win over Malaysia in their 2015 Asian Cup qualifying game at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Striker Khalfan Ibrahim (55) and Yasser Ahmed (90) provided the much-needed relief to new coach Fahad Thani who took over the reigns of the national side only a couple of weeks ago.
Ibrahim curled in a free-kick which deflected off a Malaysian wall in the second half.
Ahmed later added one more in the dying minutes of the game.
Qatar, who will play against Bahrain and Yemen in Group D, dominated the match periodically though the first half was far from impressive for Thani’s young side.
The home team could have easily increased the tally in the second half but Qatar missed some easy scoring opportunities.
Striker Sebastian Soria created a fine goal scoring opportunity for himself in the 65th minute, tormenting the Malaysian defence before shooting wide while Ibrahim hit the post with regular time having all but run out.
Yesterday’s win was a far cry from the performance of the national side that lost two out of three matches at the Gulf Cup in Bahrain.Qatar take on Bahrain in their second match in the 2015 Asian Cup qualifying fixture on March 22.The next three matches after March 22 clash will be played in October this year.