Indian-born Tahsin creates history, debuts for Qatar
Tahsin Muhammad Jamshid (Jersey No.3) made history when he became the first player of Indian origin to feature for Qatar on the international stage.
The 18-year-old teenager, whose parents hail from Kannur in the Indian state of Kerala, started for the back-to-back Asian champions during their AFC Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifying match against Afghanistan at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.
The young midfielder, one of six new players to be introduced to the national team, played a stellar game against Afghanistan, ending in a goalless draw.
With Qatar already having topped Group A and advancing to the next round, Marquez Lopez put Tahsin in their opening line-up. He also gave chances to other first-timers — Abdalla Yousif, Ibrahim Al Hassan, Mohamed Gouda, Abdullah Al Yazidi, and Yousef Marel.
While seasoned goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb made his return from injury, Lopez’s starting side was a mix of senior, U23, and U19 players.
Though Qatar had drubbed Afghanistan 8-1 in the competition’s first leg in November, they found the going a little more difficult this time.
Though they enjoyed more ball possession and weaved together some wonderful moves, they struggled to find spaces against a determined Afghanistan defence. Qatar could not do much in the first half, but they became more assertive in the second.
They pressed for a goal and a brilliant header by Tahsin hit the post in the 57th. He was substituted three minutes later.
Mostafa Meshaal, after an assist by Mahdi Salem, just missed the target as Afghanistan survived back-to-back attempts from Yusuf Abdurisag in stoppage time to salvage a point.
“We obviously weren’t aiming for this result as we worked hard for a win. We tried to score, especially in the second half, but luck didn’t go in our favour,” said Qatar’s Mohamed Aiash.
Qatar will now meet India on Tuesday in Doha while Kuwait will host Afghanistan at Sabah Al Salem Stadium the same day.
Qatar are currently sitting on top of Group A with 13 points, followed by India and Afghanistan on five each. Kuwait are at the bottom with four points.
The top two sides from each group will advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and at the same time will book their berth in the next Asian Cup.
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