Qatari players dug their heels in when it mattered the most and were rewarded with a place in the knock-out quarterfinal of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, currently underway in the UAE.
In a tight match, they defeated 2007 Asian champions Iraq 1-0 to progress to the quarterfinals. They will next face South Korea, who earlier beat Bahrain 1-0 in the other pre-quarterfinal.
#الادعم الى دور ال٨ بعد الفوز على منتخب #العراق بنتيجة ١-٠ ضمن منافسات بطولة #كأس_آسيا ٢٠١٩ الف مبروك لاهل #قطر
Congratultions to our National Football Team for advancing to the next round of the #AsianCup2019 winning the match against #Iraq 1-0 #YallaQatar pic.twitter.com/KjVLY3y9ab
Qatar’s winning goal was scored by Bassam Al Rawi in the 62nd minute. The player took a curling free-kick which beat the goalkeeper and on the left corner of the net.
Although Iraq tried hard to make a comeback, the Qatari players kept their calm and ran off with a memorable win.
⏱ FULL-TIME | Qatar 1 - 0 Iraq
Qatar are through to the #AsianCup2019 quarter-finals thanks to Al Rawi's well-taken freekick! pic.twitter.com/PIPv04w1ED
Qatar, who are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, will be keen to improve their best-ever show at the quadrennial event. Qatar’s best showing at the event came in 1988 when they finished fifth.
South Korea, on the other hand, won the title in 1956 and ’60 before finishing as runners-up four times (’72, ’80, ’88 and ’15).
#AsianCup2019 | (62') QATAR 1-0 IRAQ! Bassam Al-Rawi is proving to be quite the freekick expert, squeezing a neat curler past Jalal Hassan into the bottom corner to hand @QFA_EN the lead! Second time the @DuhailSC starlet has done it at @afcasiancup!
The quarterfinal match between Qatar and South Korea will be played on Friday, January 25.
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Cover Image Credit: the-afc.com
