Qatar have kicked off their preparation for their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on a confident note by defeating Iraq 2-1 in a friendly yesterday. Rodrigo Tabata got his first goal for Qatar and the second was scored by Ali Asadalla to give Qatar a win in their first of the friendlies this month. Iraq got a consolation goal through Jassim Mohamed.
Qatar take on Iran in their first match of the third round of the World Cup qualifying campaign and this result will boost their confidence going into what will be a tough opening encounter.
Yesterday’s match played at the Al Sadd stadium saw a strong performance from Qatar. The first goal of the match came in the 38th minute and it was through Tabata. The Al Rayyan player is continuing the form he showed in the last Qatar Stars League season for Al Rayyan. And that’s good news for Qatar.
Qatar also scored the second goal of the match. It came on the other side of the break and it was Al Sadd midfielder Ali Asadalla who found the back of the net for the Annabis. The home side looked in control of the game. In the 75th minute, Iraq’s Mohamed reduced the deficit but Qatar were able to hold on for a crucial win.
Qatar coach Jose Daniel Carreno will be happy with this result. They now head to Zurich for a training camp where they will play two friendly matches – against Real Betis and Jordan. After those two matches, Qatar will return home and play a friendly against Thailand.
Qatar is in Group A along with Iran, South Korea, China, Syria and Uzbekistan. And their first match against Iran will be one of their biggest tests in this qualifying campaign.