Qatar kicked off their 27th Arabian Gulf Cup journey with a decisive 2-0 victory over reigning champions Bahrain at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah on Thursday. The match saw Boualem Khoukhi break the deadlock in the 61st minute, nodding in a goal from an Akram Afif free-kick.
The game took a dramatic turn when Qatar was reduced to ten men after Ahmed Fathi was shown a second yellow card in the 70th minute. Despite being a man down, Qatar held firm against increased pressure from Bahrain, who were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage to find an equalizer.
In a tense finish, Qatar secured their victory in the ninth minute of stoppage time when Hassan Al Haydos successfully converted a penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after Al Haydos was fouled inside the box, sealing the win for his team.
This result places Qatar second in Group B, trailing the United Arab Emirates, who earlier in the day claimed a commanding 4-0 victory over Yemen. Looking ahead, Qatar will face Yemen in their next group match, while Bahrain will play against the UAE.