DOHA – Tunisia and Qatar became the first teams through to the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup semi-finals after defeating Oman and UAE respectively in the quarter-finals.
Although the victors prevailed in very different ways, both profited from the big occasion bringing out the best in their big players.
For Tunisia, that was Seifeddine Jaziri and Yousef Msakni – their in-form striker and talismanic captain – coming to the fore to provide the cutting edge in a tight 2-1 win over Oman.
Just three more minutes had elapsed, in fact, before Tunisia’s lead was restored through Yousef Msakni’s close-range header, breaking hearts that had been sent soaring by Al-Alawi’s moment of magic.
Tunisia didn’t merely dominate on the field; they were also on top in the stands, where their fans made up the bulk of the 21,329 Education City crowd.
As the final minutes ticked down, with tension rising and Oman pushing for an equaliser, Mondher Kebaier decided to make full use of this numerical advantage.
Seifeddine Jaziri cemented his position at the summit of the FIFA Arab Cup scoring chart as his hot streak in Qatar continued. His effort against Oman not only allowed the 28-year-old to add a fourth goal to his tournament tally, but a fourth part of his body with which he has found the net.
The Arab Cup is the first all-Arab competition to be organised by the FIFA as it prepares for the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup that will also be held in Qatar, which is will take place by the end of next year.
Hosts Qatar blew UAE away in a stunning first-half in which Almoez Ali scored twice and earned a penalty, with Akram Afif adding his third and fourth assists of a sparkling tournament.
“We prepared our game to win, not to have most possession. UAE are a team who like to dominate the ball, but how many chances did they have against us? And I think we created at least five,” Felix Sanchez, Qatar coach said according to FIFA official website.
“We played an outstanding first half and all the supporters really enjoyed it. When you score five goals in one half, you have to be very, very proud,” Sanchez added.
The winner of the Cup will be given $5 million, and the runner-up will claim $3 million.
The goal-fest was initiated in the 6th minute by way of Akram Afif, who escorted the ball into the net with a deflection from UAE’s defence, counting as an own goal.
The second goal was scored in the 28th minute by Asian Champion Almoez Ali, who took to the penalty spot, ensuring the ball would breeze past the keeper, and another penalty followed shortly after in the 36th minute, this time scored by Boualem Khoukhi.
Abdulaziz Hatem found his way on the scorecard in the 44th minute bringing his team up 4-0, followed by a brace from Almoez Ali in the 44th minute to leave the final score at 5-0.
