Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Riyadh: Qatar failed to fire again at the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations on Sunday as they were held to a goalless stalemate by Yemen in Group B.
Having played out a 1-1 draw with hosts Saudi Arabia in their opening match on Thursday, Al Annabi were widely expected to get their campaign up and running against the Yemenis, who are the lowest-ranked side in the tournament and the only team that failed to qualify for next January’s AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia.
But despite being in complete control of proceedings at the King Fahd International Stadium, enjoying over 60 per cent of possession, Qatar were just unable to make their dominance count.
Furthermore, the Qataris, who named a formidable starting XI boasting the likes of Ali Assadalla, Hassan Al Haidous and Boulalem Khouki, had 15 shots on goal to their opponents’ four but somehow failed to find a way past Mohammed Ayash and his resilient defence.
Still, Djamel Belmadi’s charges remain in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals and can guarantee their progress if they better Yemen’s result against Saudi Arabia in their final Group A clash with Bahrain on Wednesday.
Qatar will also be looking to claim a mental edge over the Bahrainis given they will face off once more at the Asian Cup next year, having both been drawn in Group C along with United Arab Emirates and Iran.
Photo: AFP