Hassan Hormatullah

DOHA: A goal in each half by Waleed Jassim helped to steer Qatar to a 3-1 victory against Vietnam in their final Group C match in the AFC Final Round for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on Wednesday.

 

Jassim put his side ahead at Al Sadd Stadium in the 22nd minute and, after Hasan Al Haydos had made it 2-0, added his second of the night seven minutes after the break to put the home team in complete control.

 

Vietnam pulled back a goal through skipper Le Cong Vinh 10 minutes from time but it wasn’t enough to save the visitors from their fourth loss in six games.

 

After a slow start, Vietnam enjoyed the first chance of the game in the 19th minute when Cong Vinh’s cross from the left was met by Phan Thanh Binh who put his effort wide.

 

Having survived that scare, Qatar opened the scoring three minutes later after Waleed Jassim got past Nguyen Minh Chuyen and Mai Xuan Hop on the edge of the area before unleashing a screamer past goalkeeper Tran Duc Cuong.

 

Jassim then turned from scorer to provider on 29 minutes, floating an inviting free kick into the box, which Hasan Al Haydos met with a first-time volley to make it 2-0.

 

Just a minute later, the hosts nearly netted a third when Mohammed Salem Al Hamad was sent in alone on the goalkeeper but his effort blocked by Duc Cuong.

 

Vietnam were much improved after the break and could have pulled to within a goal in the 51^st minute if Cong Vinh had not headed wide.

 

However, it was the Qataris who would score again a minute later as Al Haydos went down the left channel and cut the ball back for Jassim, who bundled the ball in from close range.

 

Jassim very nearly completed his hat-trick on 70 minutes when he fired in a powerful free kick that beat Duc Cuong but rebounded off the woodwork.

 

The visitors enjoyed strong support from a large number of Vietnamese nationals working in Qatar and they rewarded their fans with a consolation goal 10 minutes from time, Cong Vinh capping a fine individual performance by scoring with well-struck free kick.

 

The visitors made a valiant effort to add further goals but were denied by the resolute defence of the Qataris, who claimed their third victory in Group C.