Qatar fail to reach AFC Futsal championship
Bangkok: Lebanon secured a spot in the 2018 AFC Futsal Championship after beating Qatar 3-1 to be Group B winners, which also meant Jordan qualified as the second best team.
Coming into the match, Qatar had a slim chance of a top two finish. Not only did they need a win, they had to do so with a three-goal margin to secure qualification.
With a mountain of goals to score against a Lebanon side who had defeated Jordan 3-1, Qatar struggled to keep up with Lebanon’s constant attacks in the opening minutes.
It was a matter of time before Lebanon converted their dominance into goal and in the 16th minute, Hassan Zeitoun found an opening after side-stepping two defenders to score from outside the box.
Qatar had a hard time finding opportunities, especially as Lebanon never stopped pressing them whenever they had possession.
Their aim to win with a three-goal margin was further dampened, when Serge Kouyoumjian capitalised on a bad pass from Qatar custodian Abdulrahman Mohsin to reverse the tide and score in the 31st minute to make it 2-0.
With six minutes left, power play was the only option left and Saleh Taha stepped in as their fifth attacking member, finally pushing Lebanon into a defensive position.
But to everyone’s suprise, Lebanon retaliated with a power play of their own, giving no leeway to Qatar.
Issa Khalifan Almasoudi put Qatar on the scoreboard in the final minute, but Lebanon scored just seconds later with Zeitoun again finding the net.
