The Short and Busy Roads!
With my week in Qatar coming to an end, first priority is to negotiate an exit from the hotel. It’s going to be an evening flight, and I do not want to leave the room too early. The hotel is quite good, but there have been some niggling problems throughout the stay, and comments and complaints have had a partial effect. For example, we need to ask for towels, water and coffee on several occasions, including sometimes when housekeeping come to our room just to deliver these items. There is also an annoying leak in the bathroom, meaning the floor is often wet.
I take the list downstairs and demand to see the manager. He is, of course very apologetic. I then mention the fact that our flight is not until after 11 that evening. He does a calculation, and decides we need to leave the hotel at 8.30 to catch it. Without further prompting, we have a very late check out, and a free limousine to get us there.
To some extent, the problems in the hotel mirror those of the country, or at least city as a whole. It is a pleasant place, and the overall design is interesting but wherever you go, you see little things that have not been done right, and which in general are not about to be fixed. Even the Corniche, the highlight of the city suffers from uneven and cracked paving. Certainly the original plan was fine, but as always seems to be the case in Asia, (except Japan and Singapore), what looks to be fantastic from a distance does not stand for close-up scrutiny. There are always little cracks in the edifice. Asia just does not meet together at the joins, and Qatar is a clear example of this. Walking around the new city, one can be surprised at how many pathways just fade out for a period as the paving has not been done, or if a building is higher than the surrounding road, the impossible humps in the paving around it. It can be difficult for the able bodied to walk these, impossible for those pushing a pram, or in a wheelchair.
Incidentally, while we saw many prams, especially around malls and parks, I cannot remember seeing a wheelchair or a clearly disabled person on the trip. Where does a country like Qatar put their disabled people?
Falcon, India, c 1640
One point in the city that is well worth a visit is the museum of Islamic Art. This is a large modern building, rather angular that juts out into the sea from the Corniche, jus past a Dhow harbour. Admission is free, except for a special exhibition gallery which I skipped. Although the title is Islamic Art, the exhibits were not religious in nature, but examples of art created in Islamic societies. Paintings are not to the fore, with the best exhibits (to my eye) being either ornamental or practical. It was also very notable that while there were items from across the Islamic World, few, if any of the items were actually from Qatar, or anywhere in the Arabian peninsular.
“Lion” Incense burner, Iran, 12th century
My final game is the Group C match between Australia and South Korea. It is my third visit to the Al Gharafa. Both teams have won their first game, and Australia are unchanged. Korea bring in Hwang Jae Won as centre half in place of the suspended Kwak Tae Hwi.
An entertaining start saw chances at both ends, with Harry Kewell missing a chance for Australia. South Korea had by far the more numerous and noisier support, and began to take control, this was demonstrated on 23 minutes when Jo Dong Won received a through ball in the area, and held it up for the incoming Koo Cha Cheol to open the scoring. This is Koo’s third goal after his brace in the opening game.
Australia were not without opportunity, and Harry Kewell was looking their most likely, receiving a lay-off from a 31st minute free kick, he just shot over from more than 25 yards, and he also shot just wide on 38 but in between these, South Korea had created several promising openings with Park Ji Sung in particular looking dangerous. In particular, he combines well with the winger Lee Chung Yong. Australia appeared to have a golden chance when the ball ran through to Cahill in space, but Cha Du Ru reacted quickly to knock the ball off his toes and concede the corner.
The “Fearsome Foursome”, Spanner, DJ, Eddie and Peter relaxing on the Corniche
After a shaky start to the second half, Australia clearly started to get back into the game and were rewarded on 62 minutes when Jedinak headed in an equaliser. He received the ball from a short cross by Lucas Neill after Cahill had headed on a corner, but Korean goalkeeper Jung Sungryong will be disappointed not to have dealt with it better. South Korea almost got the best possible response within a minute with Jo Dong Won shooting just wide after good work by Park Ji Sung. Then Cahill was ruled offside when clear, but anyway Jung did well this time to stop the shot.
South Korea made a double substitution with 20 minutes to play, changing both of their strikers with both sides having won their opening games, a draw might suit both, but there is no sign as yet of either team going for this. Schwarzer needed to be aware in cutting out a cross from Lee Young Pyo. As the game neared its end, we thought the team’s might settle for a draw, which after all would not be bad for either, but an 86th minute header by Ki Sung Yeung, saved by Schwarzer proved the teams were still going for it. One each was, of course, the final score.
Park Ji Sung (7) and Yoo Byung Soo of South Korea, with David Carney (3) and Mile Jedinak
Later on the same day, Bahrain beat India 5-2. India are therefore out of the competition and have conceded nine goals in their first two games no doubt Bob Houghton will get the blame and be sent on his way, but really it lies with the AFC for their qualification procedures that guarantees two minnows qualifying (from the AFC Challenge Cup) without having to beat the higher ranked teams knocked out of the qualifying tournament to make way for them. Both South Korea and Australia are certain to qualify if they draw or win their final game, Bahrain also know that a win will see them into the quarter-finals.
I do like to keep in touch with how the tournaments continue after I have left, even though I had made it to Cheltenham before the next match started. At the end of the Australia v South Korea game, I met up with Paul and Kevin and soon discovered a lack of public transport around the stadium. We therefore hopped the media bus back to the main stadium, even though this was further than we wanted to go. We then choose to take a quick snack at the food hall of the neighbouring mall, even though this was heaving with crowds. In the most popular mall in the country, Friday night is the most popular time. This is probably also the most democratic part of the country, where wealthy locals rub shoulders with off duty “guest workers”. Naturally all the on-duty staff were imported, and even the Qatari families still need a Filipino nanny if there is a push chair to be pushed!
From the mall, it was a taxi back to the hotel. Fifteen minutes driving, but only after fifteen minutes queuing to get out of the car park. The taxi driver was trying various methods of avoiding the queues, as Qatari taxi meters do not ramp up the Riyals while waiting in a jam! These efforts probably saved us about 10 minutes! From the hotel, the limousine ruches us in comfort to the airport
So we had nearly two hours in the strangely functional airport. Naturally everyone is pushed through the duty free shop on entry, but only a fool would not notice prices for duty free here is much more expensive than any UK High Street. Upstairs is a cafeteria no less. One would expect something more opulent from a country that prides itself on opulence but then I could see no locals here, so I guess none have cheap enough tickets to be turned away from the lounges.
Sometime in the middle of the night, I changed planes at Dubai, bidding farewell to Paul and Kevin heading to Gatwick (as I went to Heathrow). All of us were on near full planes, and the journey back was not in the comfort of the outward flight. The duty free prices at Dubai are better than Doha, but I could not be bothered. From Heathrow, I need a bus to get back to my mother’s home (where my car is parked), and then drive in two stages (with a stop at my own home, for about an hour) to Cheltenham. We lost.
Meanwhile, Iran beat North Korea 1-0, and thanks to an own goal, three minutes into injury time, Iraq took the points against UAE. This meant Iran could not be overtaken as Group D leaders, while a draw against North Korea would assure Iraq of also appearing in the quarter finals.
When group A concluded on Sunday, Qatar got two early goals to set them on the way, and added another late on. The Chinese struggled despite an early goal, with Uzbekistan levelling before half time, and then going ahead just after the break. China were soon back on level terms, but they must have known that with Qatar winning, a straight victory of the Uzbeks would not be enough. If three teams were to finish on 6 points, China needed a two goal lead at least, but they never got beyond level terms, and went home again without reaching their potential. Their consolation, (hopefully coincidental), was a new Qatar-China oil deal signed the day after Qatar had beaten China.
On Monday, Japan ripped through the already out Saudi Arabia. Three goals up within 20 minutes, and two more added in the second half. Saudi Arabia used to be a power in Asian football, but they now can only look on as the power has switched to the East. Syria’s opening match victory over Saudi had shown them up from the beginning, of the teams that did not make it to the quarter finals, I feel Syria were the most unfortunate. Against Jordan, they went a goal up, but conceded an equaliser, (an own goal at that) before the break. A draw would be enough for Jordan, but Odal Al Saify scored on the hour mark to take his side through.
Draws would be enough to take both South Korea and Australia through from Group C, but the Koreans were not having that against India. In the 12th minute, India scored through a penalty, but this only brought the scores back to 2-1. South Korea ended up 4-1 winners, but either this Indian goal, or their failure to get a fifth meant they finished second (on goal difference) to an Australia side who struggled to beat Bahrain. Mile Jedinak scored on 37 minutes, but the reports give Mark Schwarzer, the goalkeeper as man of the match in a 1-0 win. Finally, a goal midway through the first half gave Iraq victory over a defensively minded North Korean side, whose tournament record (including a missed penalty) was none scored, two conceded. The North Koreans did not even finish bottom of the group, as late goals meant Iran ended up 3-0 winners over UAE, two of the goals came after both teams had a player sent off.
So the quarter final line up is (group winners listed first)
Friday: Japan v Qatar, Uzbekistan v Jordan
Saturday: Australia v Iraq and Iran v South Korea
At the risk of being wrong quickly, (this post is made less than two hours before the first game starts), I cannot see beyond the two group winners (Japan and Uzbekistan) in the first two games. The second games will be much more difficult to predict. I think Australia may just shade the match against Iraq, while it is “Iran’s turn”, in the other game. This is the fifth successive tournament where Iran and South Korea have met in the quarter-finals, Iran won in 1996 and 2004, while South Korea were victorious in 2000 and 2007. On all four occasions, the match winner has then succumbed in the semi-final, and ended up taking third place. With Japan as the likely semi-final opponent, history may well repeat itself