Doha: Oman, Japan, UAE and China secured quarter-final berths at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 – AFC Qualifier Qatar yesterday as hosts Qatar suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Bahrain.
The last round of group matches to decide the remaining four quarter-finalists will be held at Katara beach today and the Maroons have one last chance to delight the local fans when they face Oman.
Bahrain were clinical in their 6-1 rout of Qatar, never allowing the hosts to mount a significant counter attack. Both sides began tentatively but an early goal lifted the Bahrainis, who then dominated possession. Good goalkeeping from both sides meant no more goals were scored in the first period, which ended 1-0.
The second period was a scrappy affair with neither side being able to assert their dominance until Rasheed doubled the lead for the Reds. Bahrain drove through the Qatari defense one more time in the period and went into the third and final period 3-0 ahead.
The Reds scored in the opening minute of the final frame, pushing the lead to four goals but the Maroons did not stop pressing and created some of their best chances, albeit a little too late.
The open nature of play meant plenty of goals came during their period and Bahrain soon hammered in their fifth. A rocket from captain Jafal gave Qatar their solitary goal. Rashed scored a sixth for Bahrain and completed his hat-trick.
After yesterday’s win, Bahrain are on three points and it means that their match today against Laos, who also have three points, will determine who goes through to the quarters, along with Oman, from Group A.
In another match yesterday, China willed themselves to a 4-3 victory in an exciting encounter against Kuwait.
The Dragons will want to earn another three points against old rivals Japan today.
But for Kuwait it was the second close defeat in as many days. They will now face Vietnam and hope to register their first victory.
Meanwhile, some of the students from Doha’s Sherborne School had the time of their lives yesterday as they got a chance to train and play with some of the stars of the Iranian beach soccer team, the defending Asian Champions.
The students left the
Katara beach with a great experience, some gifts by Power Horse, and a new favourite sport — beach soccer.
THE PENINSULA