The Qatar national team reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup, after winning on penalties 3-2 over Uzbekistan, after the original and extra time ended in a 1-1 draw, this evening, Saturday, at Al Bayt Stadium.
The home team and the crowd took the lead in the 27th minute through Otker Yusupov’s own goal.
In the 59th minute, Ediljon Hamrubekov scored the equalizer for Uzbekistan.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and extra time was required.
The score remained the same in extra time, so the match went to penalty kicks, which witnessed the brilliance of Qatari goalkeeper Mishal Barshim.
Qatari club Al-Anabi faced a fiery match in the semi-finals of the Asian Championship with Iran, which ousted Japan in the quarter-finals.
Returning to the events of the match, the Qatar national team began its offensive pressure early, and almost scored in the tenth minute, after a long ball to Akram Afif on the left side, who shot a strong shot that was blocked by the Uzbek goalkeeper.
Akram Afif returned in the 19th minute to pose a threat to Uzbekistan after a successful dribble from the left side and headed towards the goal, sending a cross that was blocked by the defense with difficulty.
In the 27th minute, Hassan Al-Haydos opened the scoring for the Qatar national team after starting from the right side and sending a powerful cross that hit the defender’s foot, but the Uzbek goalkeeper missed it and entered the net.
The Uzbekistan national team reacted and almost scored an equalizer through Masharipov, who received a deep ball and swiveled and shot, but it hit the foot of the defense and went over the crossbar to a corner in the 31st minute.
In the 36th minute, Azizbek Turgunbayev, the Uzbekistan player, wasted an equalizing opportunity after passing a cross from the ground, which he met with a shot into the empty net of his goalkeeper. The ground opened up for the left back, Muhammad Waad, and he turned the ball into a corner on its way to the goal.
The 41st minute witnessed the Uzbekistan goalkeeper’s brilliance in clearing Mahdi Ali’s header, which he brilliantly converted into the goal after an indirect free kick from the right side, executed with perfection by Akram Afif.
The first half ended with Qatar leading, then the second half came and Al-Anabi goalkeeper Mishal Barshim almost cost his team a red card after an unjustified exit and strong intervention on an Uzbekistan player, but the referee was satisfied with a yellow card, then returned and saved Barshim’s goal from a dangerous Uzbek attack.
In the 59th minute, the Uzbekistan national team succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal through its player Odiljon Hamrubekov, after a deep ball reached the player, who shot it brilliantly into the net.
The second half continued with closer attempts by the Uzbek national team, with the absence of solutions from Al-Anabi, and the danger came only from one player, Akram Afif, who almost stung Uzbekistan with a more than wonderful curved shot that passed near the post, then the final whistle blew and resort to extra time.
The first extra half began with pressure from the Qatar national team, and Al-Anabi was denied a goal through a wonderful shot from substitute Abdulaziz Hatem, who entered after Jasser Jaber left.
The match turned into a bilateral struggle for the ball between the players in the second extra half, with the absence of technical and tactical skills from the two teams, with Qatar having more possession of the ball, and Al-Moez Ali almost snatched a fatal goal for Al-Annabi before the goalkeeper turned it into a corner.
The Qatar national team besieged its Uzbek counterpart in its penalty area in the last minutes, but was unable to score, so resorting to penalty kicks, which smiled at the home team and the defending champion.
