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Qatar to face Palestine in AFC U23 Championship

November 08,2024

17-January-2018

Qatar to face Palestine in AFC U23 Championship

CHANGZHOU, China, January 18, 2018 - Striker Almoez Ali has set his sights on continuing the rich vein of form he is currently in after scoring twice against China in a 2-1 win that saw Qatar finish top of Group A, and seal a place in the AFC U23 Championship 2018 quarter-finals.

The 21-year-old's brace took his tally for the tournament to three, and with a last eight tussle against Palentine to come at Changzhou's Olympic Sports Center on Friday, Ali is in no mood to stop hitting the back of the net just yet.

"Of course, I feel very happy that we have qualified for the next round and I want to say congratulations to my teammates," declared the Al Duhail forward who added to his Matchday One strike in a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan as host nation China were eliminated.

"I am also very happy that I scored the goals. "I now hope I can continue scoring and (in the process) help my team carry on winning." Ali is more than aware of the test that awaits his side as they look to improve on the fourth-place finish they achieved at the competition's last edition in 2016.

"We have played every game as if it was a final and won all of our three games," he said. With Korea Republic and Vietnam sealing their progress to the knockout phase of the AFC U23 Championship China 2018 on Wednesday, the tournament's quarter-final line-up has now been confirmed.

Quarter-final Line-Ups

Qatar v Palestine: Changzhou Olympic Sports Center, January 19

Japan v Uzbekistan: Jiangyin Sports Center, January 19

Iraq v Vietnam: Changshu Sports Center, January 20

Korea Republic v Malaysia: Kunshan Sports Center, January 20

How They Qualified

Qatar: Finished top of Group A with three wins from their three games.

Palestine: Tournament debutants who were second in Group B.

Japan: Were top of Group B with a perfect record thanks to their three victories.

Uzbekistan: Group A's second-placed team who beat China 1-0 in the group stage.

Iraq: Group C winners with two wins and a draw to their name.

Vietnam: Came second in Group D thanks to a win and a draw.