Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: AFC U-19 Champions Qatar took another step closer to being able to defend their crown in Bahrain next year after picking up their second successive 2016 AFC Championship qualifying win with a 4-0 defeat of Lebanon, while Oman also scored four times in their 4-1 victory over nine-man Kyrgyzstan.
Qatar took a 33rd minute lead in Sunday’s penultimate round of qualifying matches when Khalid Muneer Mazeed - who came off the bench to score in the Group D hosts’ 7-1 win over Kyrgyzstan on Friday - opened the scoring against the Lebanese with his second in as many matches.
Skipper Abdullah Abdulsalam Al Ahrak doubled Qatar’s advantage in the 67th minute and after Sayed Issa struck in the 75th minute with his third of the qualifiers following a brace in the opening round win over the Central Asians, substitute Hazem Sheta became the third Qatari player to scorer both matches at the Grand Hamad Stadium when he sealed Sunday’s win in the 90th minute.
Kyrgyzstan’s hopes of a place in next year’s finals took a major blow when they crashed to their second successive defeat as the Central Asians had a players sent off in each half in their 4-1 loss to Oman.
Asad Khamis Rashis Al Awadi put Oman 1-0 up from the penalty spot after 13 minutes but parity was restored three minutes later through Ernist Batyrkanov before the Central Asians were reduced to ten men on the half-hour mark with the dismissal of Danislam Zagidulin.
Zagidulin was followed by team-mate Georgii Slavnyi as Kyrgyzstan were reduced to nine men eight minutes into the second half, with Oman capitalising on their numerical superiority a minute later when Talal Khamis Rashid Al Awwadi made it 2-1 before Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari (63rd) and Muhsen Saleh Al Ghassani (75th) added to the tally as Oman picked up their first Group D win following Friday’s goalless draw with Lebanon.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification (total 16 teams).
If Bahrain finish top of their qualifying group or one of the five second best-placed teams, the next (6th) second-placed team will qualify for the final competition.