Qatar worked up a fair bit of form ahead of their World Cup qualifier against China next week with a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Russia in a friendly match at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd yesterday.
A penalty converted by Boualem Khoukhi in the 35th minute and a brilliant header by Karim Boudaif in the 72nd gave Qatar a rare win against the Russians who had taken the lead in the fifth minute after Alexander Samedov had scored from the spot.
Qatar coach Jorge Fossati had made it clear on Wednesday that it would be impossible to “enjoy” the match against Russia because his mind would be on the China match in on Tuesday.
But that didn’t prevent his team from stealing the thunder from the 2018 World Cup hosts with some enterprising play, especially in the second half. It was Qatar’s first ever victory against Russia in four attempts.
The Russians who are ranked 53rd in the FIFA rankings, way above’s Qatar’s 91st, looked the better team in the early stages of the game and struck through Samedov from the spot after a foul inside the area.
Qatar also owed their win to a superb 85th minute penalty save from goalkeeper Saad al-Sheeb, who tipped away Alexander Korokin’s forceful kick.
Boudiaf’s strike was the only goal of the second half, despite chances for both sides, after the teams had gone in level at one piece after 45 minutes.
Both teams had scored from the penalty spot.
Samedov gave Russia a fifth minute lead but that was wiped out by Boualem Khouki in the 35th minute.
Qatar had missed another penalty six minutes earlier when Ibrahim Majed sidefooted wide from 12 yards.
Despite the low key nature of yesterday’s game, both team’s coaches are under pressure brought about by hosting a World Cup finals.
Stanislav Cherchesov was appointed as Russian coach in August after the country’s disastrous Euro 2016 campaign and set a target of ensuring his team reach the semi-finals in 2018.
Fossati has been given the oneruous task of getting Qatar to their first finals in Russia, ahead of hosting its own tournament in 2022.
Yesterday’s match was watched by a crowd of 4,503, including FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, who is on her first official visit to Qatar.