Doha: October 23 - The Qatari national football team under 17 years old defeated its Mongolian counterpart by 2-1 in their match Wednesday at Aspire Academy 7 Stadium, at the beginning of Group 6 in the 2025 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers for the finals scheduled in Saudi Arabia from April 3 to 20. The Qatari national team owes the victory to its captain Zaid Faisal, who scored two goals in the 18th and 84th minutes. Later today, the Japanese national team, the title holder and four-time winner of the tournament, will meet its Nepalese counterpart at Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium in the same group. The Qatari national team were able to impose its control throughout the entire match, and succeeded in tightening its grip on the midfield, relying on speed in transferring the ball and offensive intensity in the opponent's areas. The first attempts came through a ball sent by Tamim Al-Qadi from outside the area, but it passed next to the Mongolian goal in the fourth minute. The Qatari team took the lead when Tamim Al-Q adi ran on the left side, and prepared a cross inside the area for his teammate Zaid Faisal, who followed it up in a wonderful way into the net in the (18) minute. The Qatari team continued its superiority in terms of possession and control of the midfield area, and its captain Zaid Faisal almost doubled the score with a header, but his ball went over the crossbar in the (28) minute. The Qatari team had the opportunity to double the score on several occasions, but its attempts were unsuccessful. In the second half, the Qatari team maintained their balance in all lines, and continued to impose its superiority in the midfield area, relying on the penetrations of Omar Al-Marzouqi and Adam Riyadh, in addition to the movements of Zaid Faisal in the opponent's areas. On the other hand, the Mongolian team tried to close its defensive areas for fear of conceding another goal, while it was unable to carry out any attacks. Zaid Faisal managed to double the score for the Qatari team after receiving a ball outside t he area, escaping defensive control and shooting powerfully into the right corner of the Mongolian team's goal in the (84) minute. The Qatari team sought to add a third goal before the final whistle, but the opponent's defense saved the situation, and the match ended with an important victory with two goals to none. The 43 teams participating in the qualifiers were divided into 10 groups, with seven groups containing four teams, compared to three groups containing five teams, while the qualifiers will be held between October 19 and 27. The top teams in each of the ten groups, along with the best five teams that came in second place, will qualify for the finals hosted by Saudi Arabia. Source: Qatar News Agency