Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Thimphu: Qatar qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 and advanced to the next round of FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying with two games to spare after beating Bhutan 3-0 on Tuesday.
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Mohammed Muntari connected with Akram Afif’s cross from the left and scored Qatar’s opener on 22 minutes following a period of heavy pressure from the West Asians.
Hassan Al Haidos made it 2-0 on 36 minutes before the referee brought the first half to an end after the hosts defended stoutly with Jigme Tshering Dorjee pulling off a number of outstanding tackles in front of a boisterous Thimphu crowd.
Bhutan looked to have kept the Qataris at bay in the second half until Al Haidos completed his brace to make it 3-0 on the stroke of full-time, as the reigning Gulf champions maintained their 100% record.
Qatar top Group C with 18 points, four clear of Hong Kong, who have just one game remaining, with China on 11 points following Tuesday’s goalless draw with Kim Pan-gon’s side.
The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.