23 Sep 2019
Doha, 22 September 2019. Qatar U-16 National football team comprised of players developed at Aspire Academy and coached by Aspire staff is heading to the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship finals in Bahrain after finishing top of Group E of the qualifiers. Qatar beat Bhutan by a convincing score line of 11-0 to pip second placed Yemen by one goal difference as both teams finished on 7 points and identical goal tally of 14. Qatar conceded one less goal than Yemen hence finishing top but both teams qualified for the finals which will kick off on 16th September 2020 in Bahrain.
Qatar forward player, Rashid Abdulaziz Al-Abdulla scored a hat-trick (8', 65', 68’) minutes striker while winger Mubarak Shanan Hamza converted two spot kicks (36' (pen), 88' (pen), and fellow striker Mohamed Salem Al Quraishi also notched a brace (44' (pen), 57’). The other goals came from Abdulaziz Fahad Al Naimi, 49’, team captain Mahdi Salem Al Mejaba, 53’, Hassan Mohammed Al Ghareeb 73', and substitute, Abdulrahman Al Dosari 90+3'.
Qatar have now qualified for AFC U-16 Championship on 11 occasions. Qatar won the AFC U-16 Championship in 1990 when it was held in United Arab Emirates, courtesy of a 2-0 victory over the hosts in the final.