Spain defeat Qatar in C.O.T.I.F tournament semi-final
L’Alcudia, Spain: two first half goals enabled Spain to beat
Qatar 2-0 in their semi-final clash in the International under -20
Football Tournament in L’ Alcudia on Tuesday.
Backed by the home support of a Els Arcs Municipal Stadium; a
star-studded Spanish side came at Qatar from all angles with a
ravenous appetite, resulting in a series of attacking forays but
were stopped by an organized Qatari back-line which proved
reliable throughout the tournament.
Battling Costa Rica in a heated match less than 24 hours ago
proved costly for Qatar, as it was clear that the physical nature
of the previous match up had taken its toll on Oscar Cano’s
boys.
Subsequent to incisive rallies, Ruben Fernandez put the hosts
ahead in the 31st minute as he kept his cool while dribbling past
two Qatar defenders before smashing the ball past Qatar’s gloveman
Mohammed Al Bacri, who failed to negotiate the lofted shot.
Just four minutes later, Peru Nolaskoain doubled Spain’s lead
when he headed home Oscar Rodriguez’s corner.
In the second half, coach Oscar Cano ushered in four substitutes, but
little have changed as Spain held on to reach the final of August 4.
The Oscar Cano-coached Qatar side is currently preparing for the
U-19 Asian Cup to be held in Bahrain later this year.
Qatar are the defending champions, having won the previous
edition in October 2014.
Qatar will also host the GCC U-19 championship in September.
Qatar line-up: Mohammed Al Bacri, Ahmed Al Minhali, Tarek
Salman, Bassam Hisham, Abdullah Abdulsalam, Hazem Ahmed,
Khalifa Al-Malki, Hussain Bahzad, Hassan Waleed, Nasser Abdulsalam
and Hassan Ahmed.
Substitutes: Mowafak Awad, Abdulrasheed Ibrahim, Abdulrahman
Fahmi and Monkez Adi