Al Annabi were held to a draw by a ten-man North Korea side that put a valiant effort and scored two screamers to earn a point.

A goal each from Qatar’s Akram Afif and Almoez Ali in the first half was not enough to get all three points against North Korea as Al Annabi were held to a 2-2 draw at Laos National Stadium. 

In the second match of the Asian Qualifiers, the home side opened the scoresheet but trailed Qatar 2-1 until a scorching equaliser from Kang Kuk-chol early in the second half.

North Korea came close to scoring first in the ninth minute, with full-back Hyok Kim-pong forcing an acrobatic save off Qatar’s goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham. 

Almoez Ali then had a chance to put the Maroons in the lead just five minutes later but failed to connect Abdullah Al-Yazidi’s cross and the shot ended up hitting the near post.

It was the home team that capitalised on the momentum to score. Ri Il-song received a diagonal ball and then took the shot from outside the box to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute, putting the ball beyond Barsham’s reach in the top corner. 

Still looking to settle in the game, central defender Tarek Salman then conceded a yellow to deter an attack that could have ended up in another goal for North Korea. 

Salman, who has been a regular starter under Marquez Lopez, will miss the next match due to suspension and was taken off in the 38th minute later on. 

The highlight of the first half, however, came in the action which ultimately led to the equaliser. 

Akram Afif scored from the penalty spot a minute after the half-hour mark, after being awarded the spot kick for being tugged and tripped by the opposition captain Kuk-chol inside the box. A lengthy VAR check then deemed the offence red card worthy, the hosts now a man down. 

Looking to capitalise on the send-off, Qatar coach Bartolome Marquez Lopez opted for a double substitution seven minutes from the half, taking off Salman and Al-Yazidi for wide attackers Ismaeel Mohammad and Abdelrahman Moustafa. 

However it was, once again, the golden Ali-Afif duo that looked to make things tick for the away side. 

The Spanish tactician’s move paid off as Moustafa won the ball in the opposition’s half to release Ali six minutes later and the Al Duhail forward made it 2-1 for team Al Annabi with a sumptuous finish. Opening his body, Ali shot at the top corner in the far post, leaving no chance for Kang Ju-hyok to save.

Going into the half with a goal ahead and a comeback that saw Al Annabi control 67 percent possession, it should have been promising signs for the Asian champions. 

However, the downpour in Laos’ capital and scars from the 3-1 defeat against UAE – a game they led going in the half – made sure things were not going to be as easy for Qatar.  

Expectedly, the Koreans got back on track with a scintillating free-kick from Kang Kuk-chol into Barsham’s top corner six minutes into the half. 

Barsham had shown signs of struggle and so had Qatar. Bad weather and deteriorating pitch conditions resulted in the suspension of the match a minute before the hour mark. 

Qatar looked potent as the play resumed after a half-hour halt. The downpour had stopped and the puddles looked a lot better but it was apparent that the night was going to be long. 

North Korea then came close to scoring twice within the space of two minutes, forcing off a clearance from Pedro in the 64th minute. With Barsham beaten at the near post, the cross from Paek Chung-song did not end up in the goal. 

It was Barsham who saved Al Annabi from conceding another, saving a one-on-one, stepping out of his line. 

Not long after, Marquez-Lopez threw his last roll of dice, bringing in recently naturalised Edmilson Junior, who immediately had an impact to force a save with his third touch of the ball. 

Edmilson was then heavily involved in Qatar’s build-up, looking to combine with Afif to feed Ali and Ahmed Al-Rawi in front of them. 

Two of Qatar’s closest chances then came in the dying seconds of stoppage time, but both Afif and Ali failed to hit the target. 

Afif had struck one earlier but hit it straight to the keeper in the 91st minute – similar to Lucas Mendes, who did well to connect the volley but failed to beat Ju-hyok on goal four minutes earlier. 

Desperate to salvage a win, Qatar kept trying but to no avail, as North Korea held on with ten men, in what will prove to be a crucial point against the Asian Champions in front of slightly more than a hundred supporters.  

Qatar will have to wait, in the meantime, until October 10 as they host Kyrgyzstan, to register a win in the tournament they were expected to make two wins out of two by now.