26 Nov 2014
?Riyadh, 26 November 2014. Great success for Qatar’s football national team: They clinched their third Gulf Cup title on Wednesday after coming from behind to beat hosts Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Riyadh.
Saud Kariri opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia, also three-time champions, after 16 minutes at the nearly full King Fahd stadium but Qatar replied with a magnificent header from defender Al Mahdi Ali two minutes later. Khoukhi Boualem scored the winner for 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in the 58th minute to hand his team their first Gulf title away from home.
“I have to say that it was a brave show by our boys. They fought all the way and never looked like giving in to pressure. I am sure the fans will be thrilled with this win. It was a very important event for us and I am pleased with the way we played this event. We have more events coming up that are crucial for our team,” said Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani and added. “I am sure the boys will keep working hard, just as we did today. We won’t stop here.”
Qatar’s next big assignment is the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia in January.