Courtesy: The AFC.com


Qatar in command

Monday, 12 December 2011

Kuwait City: Qatar top 2012 AFC Futsal Championship, West Zone qualifying Group A after hammering Palestine 18-1 to lead Saudi Arabia on goal difference after they also registered their second win in three games by defeating Syria 5-4.

Qatar, who went into Sunday's match having defeated the Syrians 6-2 in their qualifying opener, where in blistering form right from the first minute and had racked up an 11-1 lead at half-time before going on to score another seven after the interval.

Brazil-born Rodrigo followed up his hat-trick against Syria with another six goals, scoring in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 11th minutes before adding a quickfire second-half double when he netted two more in the 32nd minute.

Team-mate Ahmad Raja hit four (16th, 33rd, 34th and 39th), Rashid Al Boinin weighed in with a hat-trick (2nd, 4th and 31st) while Amro Abdelaal hit two, with his contribution to the win coming in the 4th and 5th minutes.

Mansoor Al Shamari (7th) and Saad Al Shahwani (21st) also got their names on the score sheet and Palestine keeper Ali Diab inadvertently contributed to Qatar's tally with a 14th minute own goal.

Mohammad Al Dakkak scored a consolation for Palestine in the 16th minute.

The later match at the Al Qadsia Futsal Stadium was an altogether more evenly-contested fixture as Abdulaziz Al Alouni scored in the last minute to give Saudi Arabia a 5-4 win over Syria.

Syria made a flying start to the match and were 3-0 up inside the first ten minutes with Ezat Al Masalmeh opening the scoring in the 2nd minute before skipper Mohammad Estanbolli struck in the 6th and 8th minutes to give the Syrians a commanding lead.

However, goals from Mohammed Al Khaibari (12th), skipper Abdullah Al Dosary (14th) and Ashraf Al Malki (19th) saw the two teams go into the interval on an even keel.

And in the final minute Al Alouni sealed it for the Saudis after Syria's Mazen Alwan made it 4-4 after Al Malki had given the Saudis a 23rd minute lead.




Courtesy: The AFC.com


Iraq advance as Group B winners

Monday, 12 December 2011

Kuwait City: Iraq reached the semi-finals of the qualifying competition for the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship with a 4-1 win over Lebanon, who go through to the next stage as Group B runners-up.
Hashim Khalid put Iraq 2-0 up with goals in the 5th and 11th minutes and while Mahmoud Itani reduced the deficit second-half strikes from Karrar Mohsin (24th) and skipper Nussein Abd Ali ensured the Iraqis top the table with seven points, one more than Lebanon.

In the later fixture at the Al Arabi Futsal Stadium, 2012 AFC Futsal Championship hosts the UAE ended their campaign on a positive note as they defeated Bahrain 4-2 to pick up their first win of the qualifiers.

Ahmad Mahmood put the UAE one up in the 4th minute before a Jassam Anan strike six minutes later made it 1-1 going into the break.

One minute after the restart Thamer Shamoos gave Bahrain the lead but the UAE leveled three minutes later through Omer Salmeen, who netted his second and Bahrain's fourth one minute after Abdulkarim Jamil had made it 3-1in the 36th minute.

Bahrain's disappointment was compounded in the final minute when goalkeeper Sayed Abbas and goalscorer Shamoos let their frustration get the better of them with both players picking up their second yellow cards of the match.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com