Ahmed Fawzi scored the only goal of the game.
At home, U23 Qatar shows outstanding ball control. Coach Fahad Thani’s army pushed up the squad and maintained a possession rate of more than 60%. However, it was the confidence that made Qatar pay with a goal after 17 minutes of rolling the ball.
The host’s defense was close to the midfield line and did not have time to respond to the breakthrough ability of the UAE’s striker pair. After a failed shot from number 19, Ahmed Fawzi was there just in time to receive the ball. He controlled his composure, deceived the defender, and then shot the net of Qatar.
After the goal, U23 UAE completely dominated the game. The white army held a burning press in the middle of the field, making it impossible for Qatar to deploy its forte short-ball play. In the whole first half, the home team only had one shot on target, the personal effort of the 9th striker, Abdulla Al Yazidi, in the 44th minute.
In the first minutes of the second half, Qatar U23 suddenly rose up strongly. Within minutes from 52 to 56, the host had three good chances to equalize. However, Faisal Mohammad and his teammates could not take advantage of the open goal.
The host squandered the opportunity and then again fell into a deadlock before the physical strength of the UAE’s midfield. The away team regained control of the midfield area and did not give the opponent a chance to threaten the goal.
The match ended with a 1-0 victory for the UAE. In the next turn on March 26, coach Maciej Skorza’s team met Vietnam while Qatar faced Thailand.
Tuan Nguyen | 05:10 23/03/2023
