Action from the GCC Under-17 Football Championship semi-final between Qatar (in white) and Oman at Aspire Dome yesterday.
By Sports Reporter
Doha
Qatar endured a heart-breaking loss in the semi-finals of the GCC Under-17 football championship as they went down fighting to Oman 2-3 at the Aspire Dome yesterday.
After being down 0-2 in just nine minutes, the hosts made a spirited comeback but were undone by Yehya Hamoud Alhdeefi’s header during injury time, which sealed Oman’s passage to the final.
With tears rolling down their cheeks, the Qatar players collapsed to the turf, unable to believe what had just transpired. It took some consoling and comforting from officials and coach Aarno Boeting to get the players back onto their feet. It was also a lovely gesture from Oman player, as they gave a helping hand to the vanquished Qatari boys.
The semi-final began in a disastrous way for Qatar, as they conceded a penalty in just the 4th minute. With Oman’s Moetassim Mostafa Albakri charging to score he was brought down by Qatar goalkeeper Shehab Mamduh Allaithi and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Mohamed Khalifa Alkhmeisi easily converted it into a goal to give Oman a 1-0 advantage.
Five minutes later, it became a nightmare for Qatar after Albakri made it 2-0. With defence in tatters, Thamer Salem Alzeaabi assisted with a clever pass from left flank to Albakri, who slotted home easily past the Qatar goalkeeper.
However, the local boys never let their head down despite two early setbacks and kept attacking the Oman goal and they were rewarded through a brilliant strike from Hashem Ali Abdullatif.
The Qatari forward has been one of the eye-catching players in the tournament and he once again showcased his talent in the 25th minute. After a couple of shots were blocked by Omani defence, Abdullatif let one rip past four defenders with his right foot from just outside the box, with the ball piercing the right side of the net.
That excellent goal gave Qatar the much-needed lift as they went into the break as a better team. Post resumption, they immediately found the equaliser. Mohamed Khayri Abudbeira found the net in the 53rd minute after the midfielder cleverly right-footed a flick past Oman goalkeeper Yousef Ali Alshiyadi, who was caught on the wrong side.
With both the teams looking for the winning goal and more than half an hour to play, Qatar and Oman players indulged in some hard play. While the hosts enjoyed most of the possession, there was hard tackling, which resulted in referee dishing out yellow cards (four to Qatar and three to Oman).
Qatar captain Saleh Said Bnhilali almost gave his team the winner while taking the free kick, however Alshiyadi was alert to the danger at the goal post on both the occasions.
When it looked like the match would go into extra-time, Oman won a corner. And that was a break they cashed in as three Omani players went for the header with Alhdeefi finding the touch straight into the net, signalling jubilant scenes in their camp.
For Qatar, it was a heartbreak but they will be proud of their effort, considering they were thrashed 1-4 by Saudi Arabia in their opening league game. They now play the third-place play-off tomorrow against Kuwait, who were crushed 0-4 by Saudi Arabia in the second semfinal yesterday.
The final between Saudi Arabia and Oman will also be held tomorrow at 7pm.
