Gutsy Qatar beat Iran in tense clash

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Friday, January 15th 2016 10:05 PM

DOHA: Hosts Qatar on Friday produced an all-round game to beat Iran 2-1 in their Group A clash on day four of the AFC U-23 Championship. In what was a dominating performance, heroes of the first win on Tuesday - Ahmed Alaa and Abdelkareem Hassan - on Friday produced a daredevil show to fire the two goals for the winners. Alaa scored the first goal in the 40th minute while captain Hassan found the net in the 56th minute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. For Iran, the deficit was reduced by Ali Karimi in the ‎91st minute. Qatar's Mohammad Muntari and Ahmed Yasser picked up two yellow cards in the second half. For the Felix Sanchez-coached side, Friday's win was the second successive for the home side. Qatar now sits atop of Group A with six points, three points ahead of Iran and Syria. On Tuesday, Qatar stunned China 3-1 on day one of the 2016 Olympic Games qualifying event. Iran beat Syria 2-0 in their first Group A clash on Tuesday at Lekhwiya Stadium. The top three sides at the 16-team event will get automatic berths at the football competition of the Rio Games. Qatar now take on Syria in their third clash on January 18 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. The tournament ends on January 30. ايراني-اوليمبي1