Qatari forward Almoez Ali (right) celebrates with team-mate Akram Afif after scoring his second goal during their international friendly match against Ecuador at the Al Sadd Stadium in Doha yesterday.
Doha: Qatar yesterday survived a few anxious moments before scripting a fighting win 4-3 over Ecuador in an international friendly at Al Sadd Stadium here yesterday.
A brace from Almoez Ali (36th and 68th minutes) and a goal each from Akram Afif (32nd) and Hasan Al Haydos (61st), helped the hosts to win the seven-goal thriller over the visitors who are ranked 27 places higher on the FIFA computer.
The visitors, who have played in three World Cup Finals, scored through Enner Valencia (66 and 71) and Jose Francisco Cevallos (89th minute).
Both the teams enjoyed equal exchanges in the first half, but the hosts picked up holes in the rival defense after two quarters into the match.
For the opening goal, Afif beat his marker in a dead ball situation to send right footed try crashing into the nets following a free kick from Haydos from the edge of the box in the 32nd minute.
The packed house at the Al Sadd Stadium saw coach Felix Sanchez’s side add their second four minutes later with an Ali thunderbolt from 40 yards out doing the trick. Ali’s powerful shot eluded the diving Ecuador keeper and crashed into the nets.
Down by two goals, Ecuador coach made a couple of changes bringing in Aníbal Chala for Diego Palacios and Angelo Preciado replacing Stiven Plaza at the stroke of half time.
On resumption, Qatar continued to slice open the rival defense with ease and the third goal came through a dead ball situation.
Captain Haydos got his name on the scorers list as he sent the Ecuador goalkeeper the wrong way with his deft placement from the penalty spot.
Ecuador brought in more changes to the line up, with Jose Francisco Cevallos replacing Alan Steven Franco and Carlos Cuero coming in for Jhegson Mendez.
The slew of substitutions worked to a extent for the visitors as Valencia scored the first of his two goals in the 66th minute.
Valencia’s right footed shot from more than 35 yards ended at the bottom right corner in a moved fashioned by Ayrton Preciado.
Two minutes later, Qatar made it 4-1 as Ali’s right footed shot from the centre of the box found it way to the back of the net.
In the 71st minute, Valencia added a second one to make it 4-2, raising hopes of a fight back.
A minute later, the visitors suffered a blow when Frickson Erazo picked up his second yellow card of the match, reducing them to 10 men.
Thereafter both the teams used a number of substitutes in the last 20 minutes of the match.
Cevallos struck the third goal for Ecuador as he finished a move started by Robert Arboleda with a minute left for the final whistle.
In the dying minutes, Ecuador pushed hard for the equaliser but failed in their attempts with Qatar surviving by the skin of their teeth as a Ecuador’s appeal for a penalty kick was overruled by the referee.
In injury time, Ecuador’s two-goal scorer Valencia got the red card reducing them to nine men.
