Qatar beat Bahrain in opening match of Gulf Cup

Qatar secured a 2-0 victory against Bahrain on Thursday evening in the first round of Group B at the Gulf Cup 'Khaliji 27'.

The match saw Qatar and Bahrain participating in Group B, which also includes the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, in an early struggle to secure qualification points for the next round.

Almoez Ali missed a great chance in the 6th minute after receiving a pass from Akram Afif inside the penalty area, but he failed to capitalize on it, and the ball went out for a goal kick.

Boualem Khoukhi opened the scoring for Qatar in the 61st minute, rising to meet a cross from Akram Afif and heading it into the net of the Bahrain national team, giving the Maroons an important advantage.

Qatar's national team suffered a setback in the 69th minute when the referee showed a second yellow card to Ahmed Fathi, leaving Al Annabi to finish the match with ten players during the remaining minutes.

Despite being a man down, Qatar managed to extend their lead as Hassan Al-Haydos scored the second goal from a penalty, securing the win for the Maroons.

Bahrain suffered another setback in the closing minutes as referee showed a red card to player Abbas Asfour, with the match ending in a 2-0 victory for Qatar.