Yusuf Abdurisag produced a winning goal even as talismanic Akram Afif missed from the spot as Qatar steered past Yemen 1-0 in their second group stage match of 27th Gulf Cup at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Sunday.
It was Qatar’s second straight win and took their tally to six points and top spot in Group B. The UAE, who have three points, were playing Bahrain (1pt) in their second game.
Qatar, who are 86 places above Yemen in the FIFA world rankings, somehow lacked their usual attacking flair against Yemen although Abdurisag’s 64th-minute goal was as heart-warming as much as it was spectacular.
Sultan Al Brake sent in a cross from the left which went past Abdurisag to Edmilson Junior on the right. The Brazilian quickly sent it back to Abdurisag in the centre inside the 6-yard box, who controlled the ball well to beat the rival goalkeeper, a defender alike.
Qatar showed right intent from the very start but Afif fired one wide from a good position while a Karim Boudiaf header flew over the bar.
Hassan Al Haydos, who came off the bench to score in Qatar’s 2-0 win over Bahrain on Thursday, started and tested Yemen goalkeeper Mohammed Aman with a long-range shot, but the keeper dived to make the save.
An injury forced Issa Laye off early in the match, with Jassim Gaber coming on as his replacement.
Goalkeeper Aman denied Afif twice before the half-hour mark. First, he stopped a volley from the Al Sadd star before blocking his shot after Al Haydos sent a long ball into the box.
Ayoub Alawi failed to connect with a header from a promising position as the stalemate continued at the interval.
Edmilson replaced Hashim Ali after the half time break.
Meanwhile, Aman continued his brilliant goalkeeping, stopping Abdurisag’s header shortly after the interval. Boualem Khoukhi, who scored against Bahrain, then headed just wide of the right post.
Abdurisag finally put Qatar ahead four minutes later. The Maroons could have doubled their lead soon, but Aman well-judged Afif’s kick from the spot while diving to his left.
Pedro Miguel, who was pushed by Hamzah Ghaleb, had won the penalty following a corner kick.
Khoukhi blocked Adel Abbas Qasem’s attempt as Yemen tried to make a late comeback, but Qatar held on for victory.
