Qatar players acknowledge the supporters after defeating Kuwait yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Striker Almoez Ali scored two late goals as reigning double Asian champions Qatar advanced to the third round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and confirmed their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 berth with a thrilling 2-1 victory over hosts Kuwait yesterday.
Almoez, assisted by captain Akram Afif, struck the opener in the 77th minute and scored the winner in the 80th minute just a minute after Mohammad Daham leveled for Kuwait in Al Ardiya.
Qatar's Almoez Ali celebrates after scoring his first goal against Kuwait yesterday.
The fourth consecutive victory ensured Marquez Lopez-coached Qatar a top finish in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 as Afghanistan came from behind to beat India 2-1 in another group match. Both the teams are tied on four points while Kuwait (3 points) slipped to the bottom with a maximum of six points available for each side.
“It’s an important victory because we managed to advance in World Cup qualifiers with two rounds to spare,” Afif said after the match.
“It was a tough match because Kuwait played well at their home ground and it’s always a difficult challenge in away games.”
Though no goal was scored in the first half at Ali Subah Al Salem Stadium, the opening session saw absorbing action with both Qatar and Kuwait looking to take control of the match.
Backed by home fans, Kuwait looked confident despite their 3-0 defeat against Al Annabi in Doha last Thursday as Meshaal Barsham was forced into early action with the Qatar goalkeeper doing well to stop Rashed Al Dosary’s dangerous hit from outside the box in the second minute.
In what was Qatar’s first attempt of the match six minutes later, a threatening shot from inside the box by midfielder Ismaeel Mohammad was well saved by goalkeeper Sulaiman Abdulghafoor.
Barsham made second save inside the first 10 minutes, blocking Yousef Al Sulaiman’s left footed shot from the left side of the box.
From there Qatar looked in control with Almoez seeing his back-to-back attempts being blocked.
Jassem Gaber’s fiery hit from outside the box was also kept out but Lucas Mendes’ header off Abdullah Alahrak’s cross was the closest attempt, blocked brilliantly by Abdulghafoor as the deadlock persisted at half-time.
The Asian champions resumed in similar fashion and Almoez just missed the target with a strike from right side of the box before his header in the top right corner was saved by the goalkeeper.
Young forward Ahmed Al Rawi, who was named in the starting line-up, failed to get past Abdulghafoor after an assist from Afif.
The hosts then won a free kick from just outside the box but Faisal Al Harbi’s shot was a bit too high.
With 20 minutes remaining, Kuwait’s Daham missed a golden chance, hitting the ball wide when he had only Barsham to beat after sneaking inside the box from the left.
The match took a dramatic turn as three goals were scored in a span of four minutes with Almoez firing the opener from a close range after a cross from Afif.
Daham brought Kuwait back into the match two minutes later, heading home the equaliser after a ball from substitute Eid Naser Al Rashedi.
But the home team’s celebration was cut short by Almoez, who lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper from the right side of the box to score the winner and keep Qatar perfect in qualifiers.
Qatar will now meet Afghanistan on June 6, before their reverse tie against India five days later.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan drew level through Rahmat Akbari in the 70th minute after a strike by India star Sunil Chhetri with Sharif Mukhammad converting from the spot in the 88th minute to seal win.
