Doha: Akram Afif converted a penalty as Asian champions Qatar played out a 1-1 draw against the United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup in Sulaibikhat, Kuwait, on Saturday. Afif, who started for Qatar despite uncertainty over his availability, opened the scoring in the 17th minute, with Yahya Al Ghassani equalising for the UAE in the first minute of stoppage time after a brilliant solo effort at Jaber Al Mubarak Al Sabah Stadium. Luis Garcia's Qatar will play their second Group A match against Oman on Tuesday, while the UAE will face hosts Kuwait the same day.
As both teams sought early control, UAE's Harib Abdullah took the first shot of the match in the 8th minute, but his long-range effort sailed high. Almoez Ali almost gave UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eissa a scare after receiving a through ball, but with defenders closing in, he couldn’t find space and fired wide from the center of the box. Qatar's opening goal came through a brilliant play by Homam Al Amin, who was skillful in the box and earned a penalty after Khalifa Al Hammadi handled the ball while attempting to block his pass.
Afif calmly converted the penalty, sending the ball straight down the middle as Eissa dove to his left. UAE responded with pressure, and Qatar's goalkeeper, Meshaal Barsham, made a crucial save to deny a dangerous shot from Marcus Meloni. Bruno thought he had equalised after Fabio Lima’s assist, but his goal was ruled out following a VAR review that confirmed he.