Qatar in draw with Japan

Qatar held defending champion Japan to a surprise draw in their opening match of the Asian Cup today.

Japan were favourites to win, but Bosnian coach Dzemaludin Musovic's strategy of concentrating on defence held them off for much of the game.

However, the Japanese took the lead in the 61st minute with a goal by Naohiro Takahara. The Japanese must have been feeling sure of their victory when, with only two minutes to go, Qatar's Sebastian Quintana equalised with a twenty metre free-kick.

Although the draw is an excellent result for Qatar, it was marred at the end of the game when Hussein Yasser was sent of with a red card during injury time for a tackle on Hideo Hashimoto. Even worse, Musovic was sent to the dressing room for protesting this decision.

Still, it's a great result for Qatar, and their chances must have been improved still further after Vietnam's surprise victory over Qatar's great rivals and Gulf Cup champions, the UAE.

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Qatar Doha Middle East football
Asian Cup