FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers: Syria defeat Qatar 3-1 to keep hopes alive

War-torn Syria’s national football team notched a vital 3-1 win against Qatar to keep their hopes alive to qualify for their first ever World Cup to be held in 2018.

The win for Syria also crashed Qatar’s hope to qualify for the top tournament and now they will debut as the host nation for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

For Syria, Omar Kharbin scored the first goal in first-half and then another in the next. Mahmoud Al-Mawas stretched the lead by scoring the third goal for his team.

Also Read | Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma tons help India script 168 run victory over Sri Lanka in 4th ODI

With this win, Syria moved to number three in their group ahead of Uzbekistan. They will now have to face a play-off. Top two group teams will automatically qualify for the World Cup 2018 which would be held in Russia.

However, Syria could also climb to no. two spot but for that, they have to win their final group match against Iran which will be played in Tehran.

Their number slot also depends on the match result of the game to be played between South Korea and Uzbekistan.