Qatar opened the FIFA Arab Cup tournament with a rare win against Bahrain on Tuesday on a late goal against its Gulf rivals. In other matches, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defeated Syria 2-1, Tunisia beat Mauritania 5-1, and Iraq and Oman battled to a 1-1 draw on the first day of the competition. After a lavish opening ceremony at the Al Bayt Stadium, Bahrain started as the better side but Qatar came on strong before the end of the scoreless first half. Early on, Bahrain’s Abdulwahab al-Malood narrowly missed a goal after he headed the ball just wide. gerous chance at the 18-minute mark with a strike to the top half of the goal, but Bahrain keeper Sayed Mohamed Abbas lunged with his right hand and deflected it to safety. At the 57th minute, Abulaziz Hatem booted a free kick to the far post that Ahmad Fathi headed into the pitch and the ball bounced just wide. Qatar continued to control play as Almoez Ali directed a fine pass from Akram Afif off his head just centimetres wide of the goal at the 64th minute. Qatar finally broke through in the 69th minute when Hatem launched a perfect header off the post and in to give the reigning Asian Cup champions the victory. “I think we played a good game, the first game is never easy,” said Qatar coach Felix Sanchez. “They are an organised team with top quality. The first half was a little difficult, but later we had the better chances so we deserved the three points.”