Qatar
Having failed to qualify for the 1988 Olympic Games football tournament, next up for Qatar early in 1988 was their participation at the 9th Arabian Gulf Cup, staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This was a round-robin competition consisting of seven teams, and eventual winners were regional powerhouse Iraq, who went through the tournament undefeated. Qatar finished sixth, with only Oman behind them in the final standings. For 1988, two names are mentioned in terms of the managerial position with the Qatari national team: One Anatoliy Prokopenko of the Soviet Union and Procópio Cardoso of Brazil. There is precious little information available on the former of the pair. Cardoso was 48 year of age coming into the Gulf Cup. Their matches:
3/3: Kuwait 1-1
5/3: Saudi Arabia 0-0
8/3: United Arab Emirates 2-1
10/3: Oman 1-2
13/3: Iraq 0-3
16/3: Bahrain 0-1
The major event for Qatar in 1988 was the ninth edition of the AFC Asian Cup, which would indeed be staged in the country. Hence, they were automatically qualified. All matches took place in Doha. Qatar were in Group A along with Iran, Japan, South Korea and United Arab Emirates. These were their results:
2/12: Iran 0-2
5/12: United Arab Emirates 2-1
9/12: South Korea 2-3
12/12: Japan 3-0
Having finished third in their group, Qatar failed to qualify for the knock-out stage of the competition. This meant Cardoso’s time as head coach was up.
Leading Qatar into the World Cup qualification was another Brazilian, 44 year old Brazilian Carlos Cabral, nicknamed Cabralzinho. He had no previous international pedigree as a player or as a coach.
World Cup Qualification – First group stage
AFC – Group 1
Match 1
06.01.1989: Qatar 1-0 Jordan
Goal: Soufi (21′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Jassim Al-Mehaizaa, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak (Mubarak Al-Khater 81), Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi, Fahad Al-Kuwari, Mahmoud Soufi, Mansour Al-Sulaiti
Match 2
13.01.1989: Oman 0-0 Qatar
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Jassim Al-Mehaizaa, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi, Fahad Al-Kuwari, Mahmoud Soufi, Khalifa Al-Sulaiti
Match 3
20.01.1989: Qatar 1-0 Iraq
Goal: Soufi (80′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Jassim Al-Mehaizaa, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi (Saed Hassan 70), Fahad Al-Kuwari, Mahmoud Soufi, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa
Match 4
27.01.1989: Jordan 1-1 Qatar
Goal: Soufi (90′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Fahad Al-Kuwari (Yousuf Desmal Khalaf 80), Mahmoud Soufi, Khalifa Al-Sulaiti
Match 5
03.02.1989: Qatar 3-0 Oman
Goals: Johar (32′), Soufi (67′, 81′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Jassim Al-Mehaizaa, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Saed Hassan, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Mahmoud Soufi, Khalifa Al-Sulaiti
Match 6
10.02.1989: Iraq 2-2 Qatar
Goals: Al-Mehaizaa (18′), Adel Khamis Mubarak (85′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Jassim Al-Mehaizaa, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Saed Hassan, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Mahmoud Soufi, Khalifa Al-Sulaiti
Table:
1.Qatar 6 3 3 0 8-3 9
2. Iraq 6 3 2 1 11-5 8
3. Jordan 6 2 1 3 5-7 5
4. Oman 6 0 2 4 2-11 2
More than eight months had passed since Qatar had played their final match of the first group stage, when they had levelled late in the game in Baghdad in order to progress through to the second and final group stage at Iraq’s expense. In the mean time, they had changed their national team coach: Cabralzinho had been replaced by a 1958 Brazilian World Cup winner: Dino Sani. He was 57 years old at the start of the final group stage.
Final Group Stage
Match 1
13.10.1989: South Korea 0-0 Qatar
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah (Mohamed Mubarak 72), Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak, Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa (Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi h-t), Mahmoud Soufi, Mubarak Salem Al-Khater
Match 2
16.10.1989: Qatar 1-1 Saudi Arabia
Goal: Muftah Al-Abdullah (87′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Adel Khamis Mubarak (Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi 18) (Yousuf Desmal Khalaf 55), Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Mahmoud Soufi, Mubarak Salem Al-Khater
Match 3
20.10.1989: North Korea 2-0 Qatar
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah, Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi (Khalifa Salim 36), Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Saed Hassan (Yousuf Desmal Khalaf h-t), Mahmoud Soufi, Mubarak Salem Al-Khater
Match 4
24.10.1989: United Arab Emirates 1-1 Qatar
Goal: M Al-Sulaiti (37′)
Line-up (4-5-1): Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Juma Salem Johar – Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Fahad Al-Kuwari (Mohamed Mubarak 35) Mubarak Salem Al-Khater, Yousuf Desmal Khalaf, Mahmoud Soufi – Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah (c) (Khalifa Salem h-t)
We finally get to see Qatar for the first time in this qualification, and they lend a decent impression in a game where conditions worsen after the break. By that point the Qataris were disappointed not to be ahead. They’d fallen behind to a set-piece goal, but then scored one of their own from Al-Sulaiti’s long range header. In first half injury time, the same player was given the opportunity from the spot after Soufi’s header had been handled on the goalline. The centre-back shot wide of the upright. Desperately needing to win, Qatar couldn’t really put UAE under any sustained spells of second half pressure, and a draw was probably a fair outcome. Despite just one defeat in ten qualifiers, Qatar are by all accounts left with no possibility to reach Italia ’90 at this point.
Match 5
28.10.1989: Qatar 2-1 China
Goals: Soufi (86′), Muftah Al-Abdullah (88′)
Line-up: Younis Ahmed – Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, Yousuf Al-Adsani, Mohamed Mubarak (Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah h-t), Juma Salem Johar, Mohammed Al-Ammari, Yousuf Desmal Khalaf (Khalid Salman Al-Muhannadi 61), Saleh Eid Al-Mehaizaa, Mansour Al-Sulaiti, Mahmoud Soufi, Mubarak Salem Al-Khater
Table:
1.South Korea 5 3 2 0 5-1 8
2. United Arab Emirates 5 1 4 0 4-3 6
3. Qatar 5 1 3 1 4-5 5
4. China 5 2 0 3 5-6 4
5. Saudi Arabia 5 1 2 2 4-5 4
6. North Korea 5 1 1 3 2-4 3
Conclusion
It was a terrific achievement by Qatar to claw their way out of the initial group stage, following that traditional recipe of winning their home legs and drawing their away legs. The game which secured their passage through to the final group stage was the 2-2 draw with Iraq in Baghdad in what was both teams’ final game. Five minutes from time, Adel Khamis scored the all important goal which ousted the 1986 World Cup participants in front of 50 000.
Their 17 year old Somalia born starlet Mahmoud Soufi had netted a sensational five times in six matches, and had played a starring role in their progress through to the second and final qualification phase: The round-robin tournament on neutral terrain in Singapore, where the six first phase group winners came together to fight for two berths at Italia ’90. Qatar weren’t among the favourites, but they opened with a very creditable scoreless draw with a team that was, namely South Korea. If they could maintain that level of defensive discipline throughout, they would, needless to say, be difficult to beat.
It could be argued that Qatar had the most difficult start of all six teams, facing both South Korea and then another of the major favourites in Saudi Arabia. Having conceded early, they were behind for most of the game, but managed to draw level a few minutes from full time through experienced striker Mansour Muftah Al-Abdullah. With draws against the supposed top two, hadn’t the Qataris propelled themselves well into contention for a place at Italia ’90?
Well, it wasn’t quite to be for Qatar, who went on to lose to North Korea in their third outing. The pair of draws against the supposed top two still had only yielded them two points from three matches, but there was still time to make up for it if they really did have it in them to have a pop at finishing in the top 2. If they were to be taken seriously as contenders, the least they needed to do was to win against United Arab Emirates in their next qualifier. Having suffered their first defeat in nine last time around, we were finally able to see Qatar, and they were probably a tad unfortunate not to come away with a win against UAE, despite having gone behind on 20 minutes. They equalized through a powerful header from central defender Al-Sulaiti, and thought they’d gone in front through Soufi’s header in injury time. However, it was handballed on the goalline by an opponent, but when the same Al-Sulaiti stepped up to convert the ensuing penalty kick, he put it wide of the post. It finished 1-1, and a third draw in four for Qatar.
Before their final qualifier, Qatar still remained with a chance, however slim, to progress through to the World Cup, but they would need to defeat China, and then they’d need results elsewhere to go in their favour. When we’d seen them in action against United Arab Emirates, Qatar had played a 4-5-1, with Al-Abdullah as lone striker, and with their leading scorer Soufi wide left. He had even contributed defensively, but had looked somewhat raw tactically, giving possession away on a few occasions. China had a better chance than Qatar of qualifying, and a win could possibly take them through to the World Cup, since UAE, who were second in the table prior to the final round, were up against South Korea. 15 minutes from time, China went in front, and were heading for Italia ’90. However, Qatar had other ideas, and scored twice late on to turn the game around and win 2-1, with their goals coming from Soufi and Al-Abdullah. The now 18 year old Soufi netted for the sixth time throughout the qualification, something which made him one of the entire qualification’s leading goalscorers. The win wasn’t enough for Qatar, as UAE held out for a point against South Korea. However, a third place finish was a testament to the quality in the side manager Dino Sani ruled over.