Qatar beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 to top Group E at Asian Cup

Qatar have beaten Saudi Arabia 2-0 at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, the first meeting between the two Gulf nations since the start of a major diplomatic crisis in June 2017.

The Gulf rivals faced off in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, on Thursday for a match dubbed the Blockade Derby to determine the winner of Group E.

Almoez Ali opened the scoring for Qatar with a right footed shot from the centre of the box making it through to the bottom right corner.

He followed it up with a header from close range following a brilliant cross by Abdelaziz Hatim.

The last time The Green Falcons went longer without conceding in the competition was back in 1988 when they won the tournament.

Before today’s game, the 22-year-old had scored five goals in the competition. His brace today means he’s the first player to score seven goals in the group stage since the year 2000.

The Maroons, under Head coach Felix Sanchez, have shown a lot of promise with victories against North Korea and Lebanon proving they have the quality to go all the way.