Superb Hassan bags hat-trick as Qatar bounces back with 6-0 rout of Yemen
Abdelkarim Hassan bagged a hat-trick as hosts Qatar bounced back from their shocking opening day defeat by Iraq at the ongoing 24th Arabian Gulf Cup with a convincing 6-0 rout of Yemen in their second match of Group A at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday.
With the victory, the three-time champions remain in the hunt, alongside the UAE, for the second semi-final ticket of the group after Iraq had secured the first with their 2-0 defeat of the UAE earlier in the day.
The match, watched by a capacity crowd of 26, 392 at the 40,000-capacity stadium, had in attendance the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and other dignitaries.
“The players showed strong character on the field today and I'm happy we were able to bounce back after the loss to Iraq. The match has no doubt boosted our confidence and kept us alive in the tournament. We have another match on Monday which we are taking as if it is the final and we hope that we will be able to win and secure the semi-final ticket,” coach Felix Sanchez said after the match.
Going into today’s match, Qatar was without the service of their defensive maestro Bassam al Rawi who was ruled out for the rest of the tournament after suffering a broken leg against the Iraqis.
Qatar, who is bidding to be the first nation to win the region’s biggest football showpiece three times as hosts, had to rue another injury blow with Abdelaziz Hatim unable to continue the match after suffering a shoulder injury in the 26th minute. He was subsequently replaced by Boudiaf.
فيديو : هدف #منتخبنا_الوطني يتقدم 4 - 0 على #اليمن في د72 عن طريق عبدالكريم حسن .. #خليجي24 .. #أهلا_بالجميع_في_دوحة_الجميع pic.twitter.com/Q6TFUqD0bg
— قنوات الكاس (@alkasschannel) November 29, 2019
“Hatim is an important player in this team and his injury today was of course not expected. We’ll have the doctors assess him and we hope the injury is not very serious and that he would be able to continue with us at this tournament,” Sanchez said.
Hassan, a 2011 graduate of the Aspire Academy, took advantage of a defensive error by the Yemenis to put the hosts ahead in the 29th minute.
The goal which came off Karim Boudiaf’s header, after a well taken corner kick by Akram Afif, was all that was needed to wake up the fighting spirit of the Al Annabi stars, who had until then wasted a number of chances, and consequently bring joy to the hearts of the teeming home fans who were left disappointed with the Asian champions’ performance against Iraq on Match Day 1.
The Al Sadd defender doubled the lead in the 36th minute with arguably a goal-of-the-tournament contender.
The 26-year-old Hassan had collected a pass from Salem Al Hajri and subsequently controlled it with his right before firing a cracker from 35 yards which goalkeeper Salem Saeed could only push into the roof of the net.
More chances were to come the way of the Qataris but there often poor finishes ensured the match remained 2-0 going into the half time.
The 2019 Asian Cup MVP Almoez Ali, who has had a quiet tournament so far, bagged the third of the night after a swift exchange between himself and Afif inside the Yemeni box ended with a perfect lob which the hapless keeper could only watch sailing into the net in the 57th minute.
More goals were to come the way of the Qataris with Hassan, who was the youngest player to appear in the 2011 AFC Champions League at 17 years old coming off the bench against Esteghlal, completing his hat-trick with a well taken penalty kick in the 72nd minute after Yemen’s Nasser Ahmed was judged to have handled the ball with his hand.
Abdullah Al Ahrak added to the misery of the coach Sami Hasan Al Hadi men with another 35-yard cracker to make it 5-0 before Afif competed for the task with a goal of his own in the 90th.
With today's victory, Qatar extended their head-to-head advantage over the Yemenis to eight wins and two draws after 11 encounters between the sides. Yemen's lone victory against the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts was in 1994 where they won 2-1 at the Independence Cup.
“The loss to Qatar was painful and it is equally sad to be defeated with such a huge margin. There is no excuse for losing by six goals and I’m not going to make any. I only hope that we will play better against the Iraqis and exit the tournament with our heads held high,” coach Al Hadi said.
The Yemeni, who have never gone beyond the group stage of the competition, will next face Iraq’s Lion of Mesopotamia while Qatar will be hoping to overcome the resistance of the UAE as they attempt to secure the last-four berth on Monday.
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