HONG KONG -- Qatar won its second straight game in Asian qualifying for
the 2002 World Cup, maintaining its group lead by beating Palestine 2-1
Thursday.
Dahi Saad Al Naemi put Qatar ahead in the 33rd minute, but Emad Kair tied it
in the 55th. Mubarak Mostafa Fazli scored the go-ahead goal in the 66th.
In the other game of the doubleheader, Malaysia beat Hong Kong 2-0 on goals
by Akmal Rizal Rakhli in the 46th and 79th minutes.
Qatar (2-0) leads Asia Group Three with six points, three ahead of Malaysia
(1-1) and five ahead of Palestine and Hong Kong (each 0-1-1).
On Sunday, Qatar plays Hong Kong and Palestine plays Malaysia. The schedule
then resumes March 20 at Qatar.
The group winner joins Bahrain, Iran and Saudi Arabia in the 10-nation Asian
finals, which will produce two qualifiers for the 2002 tournament in Japan and
South Korea.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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