Qatar notched their second win after edging India 2-1 in Group H of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers Saturday. India made a promising start and looked dangerous every time they went forward but it was Qatar who took the lead in the 18th minute.
Al Hashmi al-Hussain rose highest to nod home his header which looped over India keeper Sahil Poonia and into the back of the net. The second half saw India push more bodies forward and they levelled the score in the 52nd minute after Muhammad Suhail converted Mohammed Sanan’s cross with a headed finish.
However, India suffered a blow in the 65th minute when Pramveer Singh was sent off for picking up his second yellow card after bringing down Noureldin Ibrahim inside the box.
Jassem al-Sharshani made no mistake from the spot to seal Qatar the victory. Qatar face Bahrain in their final fixture on Tuesday with India taking on Brunei.
In another Group H match, Bahrain bounced back from their opening day loss against India to hand Brunei a 10-0 thrashing to reignite the nation’s hopes.
