ABU DHABI // Qatar set up an all-Gulf final against the UAE after a 4-0 demolition of Al Jazira last night.
The Qataris scored twice in either half and will meet the UAE in tomorrow's final of the Al Jazira Youth International Friendly tournament, which is for Under 18s.
Saud Saleh opened the scoring in the 16th minute at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium after he was set up in front of goal by Ahmed Alaa al Dein. Khalid Mabkhout, the Jazira defender, then hooked the ball into his own net to double Qataris' lead in the 39th minute.
Saleh took his team to safety with his second goal seven minutes after half time when he latched on to a pass from Saleh Badr and al Dein completed the rout with nine minutes remaining.
Tini Ruiz, who has coached the Qatar Under 18 national team for the past year, said it was a great feeling to see the age group team reach a final.
"I saw some good, flowing football played by my young team," said the Dutchman, who has also coached the UAE national team and Al Wahda.
"They passed in short triangles and displayed high technical skills in this game. I hope they can continue to improve. We have a large squad of more than 25 [players] and the idea is to give everyone a game and it has been pretty good so far for us."
Qatar began their campaign with a 4-2 win over Manchester City but went down 2-1 to the UAE, whom they meet in a re-match. Ruiz said they need to raise their game for the final.
"The UAE has shown remarkable improvement after losing their first game [1-0 to Manchester City]," he said. "I don't see a lot of difference between the two teams. These two teams know each other, so the best team on the night."
