Uruguayan born wins it for Qatar

Qatar’s Uruguayan born striker, Sebastian Soria Beirut - Agencies Sebastian Soria  proved decisive for Qatar, as he got the only goal in a 1-0 win over Lebanon at the  Camille Chamoun Stadium in Beirut. Soria, capitalised on a poor pass back from the Lebanese defense in Sunday's opening final round 2014 World Cup qualifier, to slot home what proved to be the winner. Lebanon began the match by sitting deep with all their outfield players behind the ball, looking to counter attack with long ball tactics. The first real piece of attacking action came in the eighth minute, when Soria connected with a long ball and forced a save out of Lebanese keeper Ziad Samad, giving Qatar a corner. The proceeding corner resulted in a dash of goal box drama, as many chances fell to the Qataris only to be desperately saved by Samad and the Lebanese defence. However, Lebanon did get their own opportunities to attack and nearly took the lead in the 27th minute, when their striker Mohammad Ghaddar slid a pass to the right for midfielder Abbas Atwi. Then Atwi produced an awkward first-time shot that beat the Qatari keeper but hit the left post. Wasted chances poor build up play and possession from both sides left the scoreline goalless in the first half. There was a change in the second half, as both sides come out with more determination, but there was little difference in production. Then, came the moment of magic from Soria. Chasing the ball back towards his own goal on the right sideline, Ramez Dayoub played a pass intended for either goalkeeper Samad or one of the Lebanon's central back pairing. The poorly placed pass was nicked by the oncoming Soria, whose cheeky touch around Samad made way for an easy pass into Lebanon's goal. Qatar now top the group with Iran, on three points each. For Lebanon, the loss will be a setback as many have stated that a home win for the Lebanese was their only realistic chance of  progreesing. The Lebanese loss comes after a turbulant week in which fans were initially banned from the match over fears that they would criticize the Qatari Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The ruling was overturned by Youth and Sports Minister Faysal Karami Thursday, much to the joy of the Lebanese fans.