21 Sep 2019
Doha, 21 September 2019. Qatar U-16 National football team comprised of players developed at Aspire Academy and coached by Aspire staff played out a thrilling 1-1 draw against Yemen in a Group E match of the AFC U-16 Championship 2020 Qualifiers on Friday night. In a match played in the Aspire Dome Indoor Stadium both sides went into the encounter on the back of opening wins against Bangladesh and Bhutan setting up an interesting contest.
A near full capacity crowd in the 5700-seater stadium was in attendance with a sizeable Yemeni following vocally competing almost equally with the home support, creating a fabulous atmosphere and energy which the two teams used on the field. A fast-paced match ensued with Qatar thwarting the Yemeni sharp attack while mounting their own offensive frequently. The entertaining first half ended with the scoreboard still blank.
The deadlock was broken in the 58th minute when Qatar went on the attack that led to Yemeni defender upending the striker to give away a spot kick. Mohamed Salem Al Quraishi dispatched the penalty kick expertly to give the home side the lead.
Almost twenty minutes later Yemen restored parity with a fortuitous goal. Mohammed Al Kwamani’s shot from outside the box sailed through the legs of outstanding goalkeeper, Abdalla Mohamed Abrahim for the equaliser.
The final group matches are on Sunday, 22nd September, when Yemen takes on Bangladesh and Qatar clashes with Bhutan.