Qatar’s Akram Afif (left) kicks the ball during the friendly match against Switzerland, played at the Cornaredo Stadium in Lugano, Switzerland yesterday.
Lugano: Promising striker Akram Afif scored a match-winning goal four minutes from end to help Qatar record a stunning 1-0 win over hosts Switzerland in a friendly yesterday.
Assisted by Karim Boudiaf, Afif made a fast break and beat several players before striking from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
Earlier, the 21-year-old forward missed a chance to score just before the half-time whistle when he was caught offside after receiving a through ball from Almoez Ali as both teams went scoreless at half time break.
The win against the eighth ranked Switzerland yesterday, goes to history books as one of Qatar’s biggest wins and will serve as a big boost ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup to be held in the UAE in January next year.
Yesterday’s match which was played at the Cornaredo Stadium in Lugano, was Qatar’s fifth friendly encounter in the lead up to the Asian Cup.
Head coach Felix Sanchez will get another opportunity to check the fitness of his players when Al Annabi play their next friendly match on Monday against a strong Icelandic outfit.
The clash against Iceland, who took part in the Russia 2018 World Cup, will take place at the Kehrwegstadion in Eupen, Belgium.
In their recent friendly encounters, Qatar beat China 1-0, China 3-0 and Ecuador 4-3 before losing to Uzbekistan 2-0 in the away match.
Al Annabi will play more international friendlies next month when they host Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Algeria and Iran on December 17, 23, 25 and 31.
