February 2 – Qatar have failed to qualify for their first Olympic football tournament since 1992 after losing 2-1 to Iraq, a significant blow to their strategy of developing a credible squad ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Playing on home soil, the Qataris lost the Asian Football Confederation under-23 third-place playoff 2-1 in extra time to miss out on the final place in Rio.
Heartbreakingly for all involved with the Qataris’ preparations, they were four minutes away from the final Asian Olympic slot, only for Iraq to equalise and then clinch victory in the second period of extra time to join Japan and South Korea in Brazil.
The result was a massive disappointment for Qatar, who badly need to play on the world stage as often as possible before hosting the World Cup.
Although they had both already qualified, Japan won the under-23 tournament as they overturned a two-goal deficit to beat South Korea 3-2.
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