Qatari midfielder Abdelaziz Hatem (second left), celebrates after scoring the winning goal during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final football match against South Korea at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, UAE, yesterday. Qatar won 1-0 to reach the semi-fi
Abu Dhabi: A superb second-half goal from Abdelaziz Hatem helped Qatar beat South Korea 1-0 to claim a place in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 semi-finals yesterday.
Hatem’s thunderous effort from a distance in the 78th minute settled a tense yet absorbing affair against the finalists of the previous edition of the tournament as Qatar secured their first-ever AFC Asian Cup last-four spot.
“There are some big emotions today, but it’s no miracle,” Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez said after yesterday’s win in Abu Dhabi.
“We’ve achieved something special today, this is history for us,” said Sanchez, whose team will go into the January 29 semi-final without having conceded a goal.“We played a great game, the players made a huge effort and we achieved something great for our country. I’m the happiest coach in the world.”
“We deserve to be in the semis. I feel like the happiest coach in the world - it’s a big step forward,” Sanchez said. Qatar will now meet host nation the United Arab Emirates, who beat Australia in the day’s second game, in the last four, yesterday.
The Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali praised the qualification of the Qatari football national team to the semi-final of AFC Asian Cup in the UAE.
The Minister praised the performance of the players, saying that the team overall played well and deserved to win. He added that the team was a match for their South Korean part throughout the match, and managed to determine the outcome thanks to the big effort made by the players.
The Minister wished the team well in the semi-final, expressing hope that the team can reach the final and that the Qatari sports teams continue delivering one success after the other.
