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Easy Qualification for China
China didn't leave much room for the Qataris to change their record in this Asian cup; Qualified to the second round without any win, Qatar was thrown out of the competition from the Chinese team, easy winner of their encounter, 3-1 in the 2nd quarter final of the Asian Nations Championship in Sidon Olympic stadium and under heavy rain.
Qatar's coach, Dzemal Hadzibdic, took full blame for Qatar's exit from the Asian Cup. "Qatar played to the best of its abilities," said Hadzibdic. "We played a different game to match the Chinese players but the plan backfired and I take full responsibility for the team's ouster." Hadzibdic refused to say whether the absence of the first goalkeeper affected the game. "I don't like to put the blame on any of my players," said Hadzibdic. "When we win everybody praises the coach, and when we lose we try to find a scapegoat," he added. He also praised the Chinese team for a good. "China could have scored two more goals because we were na?ve in our execution of the game plan and because we allowed the Chinese players lots of space on the pitch," he said. "We took a gamble by introducing more attackers to increase our scoring capabilities but the plan didn't work," he added.
Hadzibdic also noted that the players suffered from fatigue that tarnished their performance. "Qatar played an open game and paid for it,' he said.
China's coach, Velibor Mieutinovic, said that he is happy to see the team move on to the semifinals. Overall the game was not easy for the Chinese players, who put on a good show.
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