Qatar thrash Yemen 4-0 to make winning start to Gulf Cup title defence
Qatar began the defence of their Gulf Cup crown with a dominant 4-0 win over Yemen in Kuwait City, reported Inside The Games.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts scored thrice in the opening 18 minutes of the Group B encounter at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium. Akram Afif set the tone for Qatar as he broke the deadlock after two minutes.
Almadi Ali Mukhtar doubled their advantage shortly after to give Qatar a 2-0 lead. Yemen’s misery continued when Almoez Ali netted Qatar’s third.
Pedro Miguel netted the final goal for Qatar with six minutes remaining.
Qatar will take on Iraq in their second group game at the same venue on Tuesday while Yemen will face Bahrain, according to The Peninsula.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez was happy with his team’s performance.
“It’s a great start for my team. This was just what we were looking for when we arrived in Kuwait. This win will give us confidence going into our next game,” the Spaniard said, according to Gulf Times.
“In the first 18 minutes, we scored three goals. Besides those, we also created many chances to score more goals. We dominated in the first half and then in the second half, they put up a fight. But it was a match that belonged to us,” he added.
Qatar had actually bee scheduled to host the tournament this year, but it was in doubt after Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia said they would boycott the tournament. Qatar the gave hosting rights to Kuwait, which recently got off a suspension by FIFA.
