Hosts Qatar bow out of Arab Cup with big defeat to Tunisia

DOHA: Hosts Qatar made an early exit from the FIFA Arab Cup after suffering a 3 0 defeat to Tunisia in their final Group A match at Al Bayt Stadium on...

DOHA: Hosts Qatar made an early exit from the FIFA Arab Cup after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Tunisia in their final Group A match at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday.

Despite the convincing win, Tunisia were also eliminated, as Palestine and Syria advanced to the quarter-finals from the group after playing out a goalless draw at Education City Stadium in the concurrent fixture.

Both sides finished on five points, while Tunisia ended their campaign with four.

Julen Lopetegui’s Qatar concluded a disappointing tournament with just one point, scoring only once and conceding five. They had earlier lost to lower-ranked Palestine and drawn against Syria.

Tunisia, who played the final half-hour with 10 men, were the superior team for most of the match, scoring through Mohamed Ben Romdhane and Yassine Meriah in the 16th and 62nd minutes respectively. Mohamed Ben Ali sealed the victory with a stoppage-time strike, leaving many of the more than 48,000 spectators at the venue disheartened.