The Qatari national team reached the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 after winning 3-2 on penalties against Uzbekistan, following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time on Saturday evening at Al Bayt Stadium. The home team took the lead in the 27th minute through a own goal by Otkir Yusupov. In the 59th minute, Eddiljon Hamrobekov equalized for Uzbekistan.
The match ended with a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation time, leading to extra time. The score remained unchanged during extra time, resulting in a penalty shootout where Qatari goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham excelled. Qatar will face Iran in a highly anticipated semi-final after Iran eliminated Japan in the quarter-finals.
Looking back at the match events, the Qatari team started their attacking pressure early and nearly scored in the 10th minute with a long ball to Akram Afif on the left side, whose strong shot was saved by the Uzbek goalkeeper. Akram Afif posed a threat again in the 19th minute with a successful dribble from the left and sent a low cross that the defense struggled to clear.
In the 27th minute, Hassan Al-Haydos opened the scoring for Qatar after an attack from the right side, sending in a strong cross that deflected off a defender and was missed by the Uzbek goalkeeper, finding the back of the net. Uzbekistan responded and nearly equalized when Masharipov received a ball in the box, turned, and shot, but it deflected off the defense and went over the bar for a corner in the 31st minute.
In the 36th minute, Uzbekistan's Azizbek Turgonbayev missed a clear chance to equalize after receiving a low cross, shooting towards an empty net, only for left-back Mohammed Waad to clear the ball off the line for a corner. In the 41st minute, Uzbekistan's goalkeeper made a stellar save to deflect a header from Mahdi Ali that followed an indirect free-kick expertly executed by Akram Afif.
The first half ended with Qatar in the lead. In the second half, Meshaal Barsham, Qatar's goalkeeper, nearly faced a red card for an unnecessary strong challenge on an Uzbek player but only received a yellow card. He later saved his team from a dangerous Uzbek counter-attack.
In the 59th minute, Uzbekistan managed to equalize through Odiljon Hamrobekov, who received a ball in the box and scored beautifully. The second half continued with Uzbekistan making attempts, with Qatar struggling to respond until Akram Afif nearly struck again with a curling shot that went just past the post, leading to the end of regulation and the need for extra time.
The first half of extra time began with Qatar applying pressure, and a wonderful shot from substitute Abdulaziz Hatim struck the post. The match turned into a series of individual battles for the ball in the second half of extra time, with Qatar enjoying more possession but lacking tactical coherence. Almoez Ali almost snatched a late goal for Qatar but his shot was saved for a corner.
In the final minutes, Qatar pinned Uzbekistan in their penalty area but couldn't score, leading to penalties, which ultimately favored the hosts and defending champions.
