Qatar survived a Yemen ambush to grind out a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Al-Inma Stadium today, Sunday, in the second round of the Arabian Gulf Cup "Gulf 27", officially sealing their place in the semi-finals.
Youssef Abdel Razzaq settled it in the 63rd minute, and Qatar owe him this victory. Both goalkeepers were outstanding, none more so than Mohammed Aman, who saved a penalty from Akram Afif to deny Qatar a second.
Chasing a second straight win after opening their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Bahrain, Qatar faced a Yemen side desperate to make amends for their 4-0 hammering by the UAE in the first round.
Akram Afif nearly gave Qatar an early lead, only for Mohammed Aman to shine and deny him. Issa Lai then went off injured in the ninth minute, with Jassim Jaber coming on in his place.
Yemen hit back with a dangerous attempt in the 24th minute, but Mohammed Abu Nada intervened at the right moment to keep Qatar's goal intact.
A minute later Afif was at it again, threatening Yemen's goal, only for Mohammed Aman to keep up his fine form and turn away the Al-Sadd star's shot from inside the box. The Yemeni goalkeeper then denied Afif once more in the 28th minute.
Abdul Wasea Al-Matari almost found the net for Qatar in the 38th minute, but Mohammed Abu Nada produced a superb save. The first half ended goalless, with both keepers stealing the show.
Qatar came out with far more pressure after the break, and Ayoub Al-Alawi headed just wide of the post.
Then, in the 63rd minute, Youssef Abdel Razzaq finally cracked the Yemeni code, firing Qatar ahead and handing them a crucial advantage.
Ahmed Alaa nearly made it two, but the crossbar denied him, before Mohammed Aman shone again to keep out Ayoub Al-Alawi in the 68th minute.
Qatar had the chance to kill the game off from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute, but Afif wasted it as Mohammed Aman produced another superb save.
Yemen threw everything forward in the closing minutes. Qatar held firm to the final whistle and claimed a precious 1-0 win.
The result takes Qatar to 6 points at the top of Group Two after two straight wins, officially booking their spot in the semi-finals of Gulf 27.