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Thrilling contests on the cards at
Al Ahli Stadium
Tribune News Network
DOHA
Lebanon will take on India and Jordan clash with Nepal in the semi-finals of the fifth Asian Communities Football Tournament at the Al Ahli Stadium on Friday. The first match is scheduled at 7 pm and the second one at 8.30 pm.
In closely-fought quarter-finals, Lebanon got the better of the Philippines 1-0, Nepal defeated Indonesia 3-1, India overcame Malaysia 3-2 in penalties and Jordan crushed Sri Lanka 5-1.
Eight teams from the two groups qualified for their quarter-finals. Group A was topped by Lebanon with 12 points. India and Indonesia had 10 points each and Jordan collected nine.
Sri Lanka led Group B with 13 points, while Nepal came in second with 13 points. Malaysia finished third with seven points while the Philippines were fourth with six points.
Hundreds of fans are expected to attend the semi-finals this weekend to cheer for their community football teams who battle it out on the field to reach the final.
The tournament draw took place in February, in which 12 teams were divided into two groups of six. Group A had Indonesia, Lebanon, Jordan, India, South Korea and China, whereas Group B consisted of Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.
The tournament had 12 teams split into two groups for the round-robin league, followed with the top four teams of each group qualifying for the knockout stage.
Group A showed that it consisted of the toughest teams as three of them advanced to the semi-finals (Lebanon, India and Jordan), whereas Nepal were the only team from Group B to win the match and qualify for the last four stage.
Organised by the Qatar Football Association (QFA), the ACFT is sponsored by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) as the Strategic Partner, while Nike is also sponsoring the event.
The ACFT is a community tournament, which brings together various Asian communities residing in Qatar and aims to encourage them to stay active by engaging in physical activity through football.
Organising this tournament reinforces QFA's commitment in providing a platform to create a football culture amongst the Asian communities across Qatar while focusing on the positive values and social benefits it generates amongst these communities.
