Abu Dhabi: A superb second-half Abdelaziz Hatim goal proved the difference as Qatar beat Korea Republic 1-0 to claim a place in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semi-finals on Friday.
Hatim’s thunderous effort from distance settled a tense yet absorbing affair, one which sees Qatar head into the first-ever AFC Asian Cup semi-final in what is their tenth appearance in the competition.
By way of contrast, the Koreans exit the tournament by the slenderest of margins having failed to make amends for their defeat in the final of the 2015 edition in Australia.
Qatar will now meet either host nation the United Arab Emirates or Australia, who meet later on today, in the last four on Tuesday.
After a distinctly cautious start by both sides, Korea Republic slowly but surely began to gain a foothold and it was they who threatened first when Jung Woo-young fired well over from distance on 16 minutes.
Content to sit back and soak up the pressure, Qatar were nevertheless a threat going forward as first a fierce Hasan al Haydos effort was blocked by a wall of red Korean shirts, and then the highly regarded Akram Afif brought a smart save out of goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu shortly after the half-hour mark.
Moments later, and in what proved to be the final genuine opportunity of the opening half, midfielder Hwang In-beom curled a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area after Qatar had failed to adequately deal with Lee Yong’s free-kick.
Qatar emerged for the second period clearly eager to take the game to their opponents, although it was Korea Republic who once again came closest to breaking the deadlock, this time Hwang Ui-jo controlling the ball superbly before bringing a fine save out of
Qatar custodian Saad al Sheeb.
With captain Son Heung-min a growing influence, Korea Republic continued to press, Lee Chung-yong missing a glorious chance at the far post after Al Sheeb had misjudged the flight of Kim Jin-su’s deep cross.
Tournament leading goalscorer Almoez Ali was to have his first sight of goal on 60 minutes when the livewire forward forced Kim Seung-gyu into another excellent stop as the Qataris remained a threat on the counter-attack.
Kim Jin-su then grazed the outside of an upright with a delightful free-kick, before Qatar took the lead in sensational fashion. Gathering possession some 25 yards from goal, Abdelaziz Hatim sent the ball rocketing past Kim Seung-gyu’s despairing dive and into the bottom corner.
Within seconds Hwang Ui-Jo had a goal ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for offside, while Boualem Khoukhi’s spectacular overhead kick was expertly repelled by Kim Seung-gyu.
Late and intense Korea Republic pressure failed to find the equaliser they so desperately craved, leaving Qatar to progress amid scenes of jubilation.
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