By Shahin Rahmani

SINGAPORE: Striker Mohamed Jaafar grabbed a brace as Syria shocked pre-tournament favourites Saudi Arabia 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the AFC U-17 Championship here at the Bishan Stadium on Monday.

Jaafar fired Syria into the lead on nine minutes in the battle of West Asian teams before Fahd Al Dossari equalised in the 46th minute. Jaafar netted the winner in the 74th minute to book Syria’s place in the semifinals where they play Japan.

The win also punched Syria’s ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the Korea Republic next year as one of the four semifinalists and helped make amends for their quarterfinal defeat to Yemen in 2002.

The Syrians, coached by Mohamed Al Jomaa, started strongly and dominated the game early on. This resulted in an early goal when key player Ziad Ajouz crossed into the box and an unmarked Jaafar was left with the simplest of tap-ins.

Saudi Arabia, who won the title in 1985 and 1988, tried to claw back into the game but Syria shut them out with quite a bit of meaningful running and stubborn defence. The Saudis were also guilty of giving the ball away under pressure.

Playmaker Mohamed Midou gave the Saudis a hard time with his zig-zag running and accurate passes. His pin-point long balls were enough to send the Saudi backline, which was hardly efficient today, scrambling.

Saudi coach Jean-Marie Conz substituted defender Abdullah Majrashi with striker Mohammed Hazazi upon resumption and this paid dividends almost immediately as a Fahd Al Dossari found the net to complete a move initiated by Hazazi.

The equalising goal, and the manner in which it was scored, should have spurred the Saudis but it was the Syrians who upped the ante with a series of raids in search of the winner.

A break in the 73rd minute had Adnan Yousef centering the ball from a free kick and it was Jaafar who outjumped the defence to connect powerfully past a diving Saudi goalkeeper Naif Al Anazi.

The Saudis did step up the momentum in the dying minutes but any hopes of a fightback were snuffed out after midfielder Raqi Fatallah was shown the red card.

Syria coach Al Jomaa was beside himself with delight. “We played three tough matches in the group stage while Saudi had played only two. This made us better equipped for our rivals,” said Al Jomaa.

“We were tired but performed well. I told the team not to hurry and concentrate. In the dressing room I told them we needed to preserve our strength till the last minute.”

After scoring the second goal we were in a strong position but it was a bit difficult in the end as Saudi became really aggressive.”

Saudi coach Conz was in a state of shock. “We started terribly. I couldn’t understand what the reason was. We could equalize and get better but we lost everything on one mistake when our defender fouled and gave them a free kick from the right side.

“I think my players were nervous because this match was also the bridge to the FIFA world meet. In the first half we were not in the game and after Syria’s second goal the morale of my players plummeted. I warned them about the Syrian counter attack but it didn’t work.”