(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Almoez Ali's strike in the first half gave Qatar a 1-0 win over China in an international friendly at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. It was a dominating performance from the hosts and they should have won by a bigger margin, but for poor finishing for their forwards.
Marcelo Lippi's China looked vulnerable at the back as Al Annabi wasted three clear chances on goal. Almoez was the culprit twice. He missed a glorious chance in the 15th minute, crashing the ball on to the bar from close range with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, he made amends in the 24th minute, when he slotted home from close range after a delicious pass from Al Sadd's Pedro Miguel Correia.
Almoez missed a chance to double the lead in the second half when he shot wide, before Abdelaziz Hatim was denied by the post after having totally beaten Chinese goalkeeper Yan Junling.
Despite that, Qatar sealed a comfortable win on the night but Qatar coach Felix Sanchez would have liked more goals from his men. Yesterday, Qatar enjoyed the majority of possession and created plenty of chances, with Akram Afif and Almoez constantly troubling the Chinese defence with their pace and trickery.
'I am happy to score the winning goal against China, Almoez said.
'The victory will give us confidence as the season progresses, he added.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez was also pleased with his team's performance.
'We could have won by a bigger margin but a win is still a win, said the Spaniard.
'We have a few more friendlies coming up. All the exposure will serve the players well during the Asian Cup, he added.
Qatar will play another friendly against Palestine on Tuesday as Sanchez looks to get his strategy and combinations right as he prepare them for the 2019 Asian Cup, which will be held in the UAE in January.
The team will also play two friendly matches against Ecuador and Uzbekistan in October. The first will be against Ecuador on October 12 in Doha, while the second against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on October 16.
For China, it was back to drawing board after another poor show. The Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi has been in charge of the senior side since 2016 and overseen a steady improvement, but they still have a long way to go. China currently languish at 75th in the FIFA rankings.
Meanwhile, Mirahmetjan Muzepper came on as a substitute in the second half against Qatar to make history by becoming the first Chinese international player from the Uighur minority.
Muzepper featured at the 2010 Asian Games for China's under-23 team and was included in the senior training squad the same year, but he did not make the team on that occasion.
Meanwhile, South Korea defeated Costa Rica 2-0 in a friendly match, giving their new coach Paulo Bento a victory in his debut before a sellout home crowd.
Midfielder Lee Jae-sung knocked home a rebound after Son Heung-min's penalty attempt rang off the post in the 35th minute at the Goyang Stadium, while fellow midfielder Nam Tae-hee of Al Duhail scored his first international goal in nearly two years for second-half insurance.
Bento, the former Portugal boss that was named as South Korea Republic head coach on August 17, enjoyed a convincing victory over the world ranked No. 32 Costa Rica Chinese Taipei powered to a 2-0 win over Malaysia at the Taipei Municipal Stadium. Wu Chun-ching gave the East Asians a 13th minute lead, before Chun En-le's 53rd minute goal sealed their victory.
Singapore fought back in the second half to settle for a 1-1 draw with Mauritius at the Bishan Stadium in Singapore. Mauritius secured an early lead when Jonathan Justin found the back of the net in the fifth minute. However, Singapore's persistence was rewarded in the second half through Ikhsan Fandi's 75th minute equaliser.
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