Qatar's Mubarak Shanan in action yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar bowed out of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 after a 0-2 defeat to defending champions Japan in their final Group B game yesterday.
Qatar, coached by Ilidio Vale, were playing for a consolation win after exiting the knockout race with defeats to the United Arab Emirates and Syria.
However, Japan dominated Qatar, scoring through Shusuke Furuya and Ryunosuke Sato, and maintained their perfect record to top the group. They will face Jordan in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, UAE also advanced from Group B despite being held to a 1-1 stalemate by Syria yesterday.
The result saw both teams tied on four points each with UAE advancing on a superior goal difference record to set up a meeting with Vietnam on Friday.
