Qatar and Yemen played out a 1-1 draw in the Asian U-16 Championship 2020 qualifiers at the Aspire Dome Indoor Stadium yesterday, while Bangladesh surged back into contention with a 3-0 over Bhutan in another Group E match. Bangladesh, defeated 2-0 by Qatar, got the win they needed while the draw between Qatar and Yemen throws the group wide open. It will be an exciting matches tomorrow as Yemen play Bangladesh while Qatar face Bhutan.
Qatar had the home advantage but Yemen, confidence boosted by their 10-1 win over Bhutan in their opener, were not overawed by their opponents. A tight first half ended goalless but Qatar eventually opened the scoring with Mohamed Salem al-Quraishi converting a penalty in the 58th minute.
Yemen’s determination, however, was rewarded in the 77th minute when Hasan Mohammed al-Kwamani fired home the equaliser. Neither side was able to conjure a winning goal, setting the stage for an exciting climax on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Bhutan didn’t make it easy for Bangladesh as they held firm at the back but the East Asians took the lead through Saiful Islam Saeed in first half stoppage time.
Buoyed by the late first half goal, Bangladesh were more aggressive when the match restarted and their hard work paid off in the 50th minute as Kelzang Jigme was pressured into scoring an own goal. The three points were sealed two minutes later when Moinul Islam made it 3-0.
Qatar and Yemen players battle for the ball during the Asian U-16 Championship qualifiers at the Aspire Dome Indoor Stadium.
