JEDDAH, 6 January 2004 — Qatar recorded its first three points in the 16th Gulf Cup Soccer Championships when they thrashed Yemen 3-0 in Kuwait City yesterday. Qatar, who began the day in sixth position climbed to third to keep an outside chance of clinching the title. They join the pack of Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait lying in wait to make a late run in the event if front-runners Saudi Arabia slip up at the stretch.
The first goal came in the 21st minute through Mubarak Mustapha, whose crisp essay to the right of the Yemeni goalie Salem Awad, following a nice cross, was on mark. Minuets later, Meshal Abdullah received a fine cross from Mubarak and the former headed the ball into the back of the net as Qatar ended the first half 2-0.
The second half was no different from the first, with Qatar dominating totally. The third goal came in the 57th minute following a corner kick. Ibraheem Salmeen, who was left unmarked inside the penalty, sent in a thunderous shot with the Yemeni goalie watching the ball go in helplessly. Qatar will next play Kuwait on Thursday and their last match is against Oman on Sunday.
The championship now hinges on the key clash between Saudi Arabia and Oman today. If Saudi Arabia win then they will increase their tally to 11 with only Yemen to play on Thursday. If Oman win then they will jump to second place behind Kingdom with 8 points.
