DOHA: Egor Krimets on Tuesday scored the match-winner in the 86th

minute as Uzbekistan beat Qatar 1-0 in their 2018 FIFA World Cup

qualifying match.

The Asian Zone qualifier was a game of intense battles but the visiting

Uzbeks managed a late strike to pick up three points.

The result leaves the Uzbeks on top of Group A, two points clear of

Korea Republic and Iran, while Qatar have yet to pick up a point having

lost to the Iranians thanks to two injury time goals on Matchday 1.

It was Qatar’s second successive loss after they went down to Iran last

Thursday.

Moments after the goal, three players were booked by the referee as

players showed nerves in the dying minutes at Jassim Bin Hamad

Stadium.

Coached by Daniel Carreno, Qatar started with goalkeeper Omar

Barry after regular bar-tender Claude Lecomte was rested.

In other changes for Qatar, Mohamed Musa, Ahmed Mohamed El Sayed

and Akram Afif also started in place of Luiz Martin, Ali Asad and Pedro

Correia.

Uzbekistan, wearing black armbands in memory of the country’s late

president Islam Karimov, made just one change, with Azizbek Khaydarov

making way for the returning Kremits.

Kremits, who missed the 1-0 win over Syria on Thursday due to suspension,

made an impressive return to the starting line-up as he headed Alexander

Geynrikh’s free kick from the right past Oumar Barry to move Samvel Babayan’s

side on to six points from their opening two games.

Qatar still have matches against South Korea, Syria and China to go in the

coming two months before playing return clashes against all group sides.

The players will return to their clubs for the start of the new Qatar Stars League

(QSL) games which begin on September 15.