Sport
Afghanistan hold Qatar to goalless draw
Afghanistan on Thursday held Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw as they earned a precious point in their AFC Asian Cup 2027 and FIFA World Cup 2026 joint qualifying match in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
The draw broke Qatar’s winning streak after four straight victories in the qualifiers. The Asian champions are on top with 13 points, followed by India and Afghanistan on five points each, with Kuwait on the bottom with four points.
“We obviously were not aiming for this result as we worked hard for a win. We tried to score especially in the second half but luck didn’t go in our favour,” Qatar’s Mohamed Aiash said in a post match comment.
“We gained a valuable experience from this match and hopefully we will appear in a better way in our next match.”
Afghanistan will now meet hosts Kuwait on Tuesday.
The top two sides from each group will advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and at the same time will book their berth in the next Asian Cup.