Qatar's Jassem Gaber (right) vies for the ball with Zimbabwe players.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar suffered a 2-1 defeat to Zimbabwe in their pre-FIFA Arab Cup friendly at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium yesterday as the visitors staged a late comeback to claim victory.
Head coach Julen Lopetegui, who rested several key players including Akram Afif, Boualem Khoukhi and Karim Boudiaf, used the match to test 22 players.
“Of course, it was a friendly match. The coach is trying out players. We played one team for the first half and another for the second half. We will try to correct our mistakes in the upcoming camp before the Arab Cup. We are benefiting from these matches to prepare for the tournament,” said Qatar’s Homam Ahmed.
The Spaniard’s starting eleven featured a youthful lineup, with experienced players Asim Madibo captaining the side and Meshaal Barsham guarding the goal.
Zimbabwe players celebrate after scoring a goal.
Qatar began the match aggressively, with Al Arabi forward Mohammed Khaled coming close to scoring within the opening 10 seconds. Khaled then put Qatar ahead in the ninth minute with a precise looping strike from the right side of the box into the far corner.
Despite Qatar’s dominance in possession and chances, Zimbabwe fought back and earned an equaliser in the 24th minute. Munashe Peter headed the ball home from a left-sided corner with Barsham getting a hand to it but unable to prevent the goal.
Lopetegui made seven substitutions at half-time, bringing on goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada, Tarek Salman, Lucas Mendes, Ahmed Suhail, Mohammed Waad, Ahmed Fathy and Tahsin Mohammed.
After the hour mark, Mohamed Naceur Almanai, Sultan Brake and Mohammed Muntari were also introduced. Muntari came close to scoring but failed to beat Zimbabwe goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze from a promising position.
Zimbabwe then took the lead in the 74th minute through substitute Bill Antonio, who carried the ball from the right flank and scored from a difficult angle past Abunada, who could have done better to stop the goal.
Yusuf Abdurisag, called up to the squad on the eve of the match following injuries to Ahmed Al Rawi and Ahmed Al Janehi, came on in the final 10 minutes and impressed as Qatar mounted desperate efforts for an equaliser. Zimbabwe came close to a third goal late on, but Abunada tipped a powerful long-range shot from Emmanuel Jalai over the bar.
“It was a difficult match against the strong Zimbabwean national team. We benefited greatly and tried to implement what the coach told us. The result wasn’t what we were hoping for,” said Qatar’s Khaled.
The win came after Zimbabwe’s 1-3 defeat to Algeria in a Jeddah friendly as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, scheduled from December 21 to January 18, 2026.
Asian champions Qatar will now focus on the final phase of preparations for the FIFA Arab Cup at home, set to take place from December 1 to 18.
