Basra, January 16 (QNA) – Qatar were eliminated from the 25th Gulf Cup (Gulf 25) after their Monday’s 2-1 loss to hosts Iraq in Basra International Stadium.
Two goals from Ibrahim Bayesh and Aymen Hussein in minutes 19 and 43 respectively took Jesus Casas’ men to their sixth final appearance in the biennial tournament. Qatar’s only goal came from Amro Surag in the 29th minute.
The three-time Gulf Cup champions will play the final game on Thursday against the winner of the Oman-Bahrain clash, due to be played later on Monday.
With all guns blazing, the two semifinalists played an open and high-octane game with end-to-end attacking flair.
In the group stage, Bruno Pinheiro’s men defeated Kuwait 2-0 in the opening match, lost to Bahrain 2-1 and drew 1-1 with the UAE. On the other side, Iraq were held to a goalless tie with Oman in the opening match before beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 and dominating Yemen 5-0. (QNA)