Home fans throw shoes in disgust as Qatar hammer hosts UAE to reach Asia Cup final
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Updated 29/01/2019 at 16:27 GMT
The 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar reached the final of the Asia Cup in emphatic fashion on Thursday, beating tournament hosts UAE 4-0.
Qatar's defender Hamid Ismeil (C) celebrates his goal during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-final football match between Qatar and UAE at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 29, 2019
Image credit: Getty Images
The Qatar squad had been backed to win the tournament overall by Xavi, but few actually expected them to reach the last match of the competition.
However goals from Boualem Khoukhi, Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos and Hamid Ismail earned Qatar a convincing 4-0 victory against a United Arab Emirates side who had Mohamed Ismail Ahmed Ismail sent off in stoppage time.
Qatar’s dominance on the scoreline was not reflected in a relatively even match in which they had just five total shots on target.
But the emphatic nature of the result clearly infuriated the home fans, who threw shoes at the Qatari players as they celebrated the third and fourth goals – a popular form of protest amongst football fans in the country.
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bjects were thrown on to the pitch after the AFC Asian Cup semi final match between Qatar and United Arab Emirates at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on January 29, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Image credit: Getty Images
Qatar’s appearance in the final is the first in their history, while opponents Japan will be targeting a fifth title. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday at the Zayed Sports City Stadium.
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