Asian champions Iraq beaten by Qatar

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DOHA, March 26 (Reuters) - Qatar defeated Asian champions Iraq 2-0 in Doha on Wednesday to move back into the reckoning in the Asian zone World Cup Group One qualifiers.

Qatar, the Asian Games champions, found a matchwinner in Brazilian-born midfielder Fabio Montesin, who secured the points with goals in the first and 65th minutes.

Iraq were shocked by the goal after 58 seconds. Montesin worked the ball up on the right and let fly a 20-metre shot which sailed past Iraq goalkeeper Hassan Noor, who was challenged by Qatar's Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Soria.

Iraq failed to recover and Qatar controlled the game, keeping possession for long periods with some clever passing.

The second followed a melee inside the Iraq box following a free kick by Qatar striker Marcio Emerson.

The naturalised Brazilian struck a low shot through a packed area and Montesin got the better of two defenders before finding the back of the net with an opportunist strike.

Qatar's Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati opted for the more offensive 4-3-3 format with Soria, Emerson and the Europe-based Hussain Yasser up front and the trio of Montesin, Talal Al Balosuhi and Wesam Rezak manning the midfield.

Iraq's hopes rested on striker Younis Mahmoud. But the key figure in their Asian Cup triumph was starved of passes and was also tightly marked by the Qatar defenders.

Qatar had lost their first group match 3-0 to Australia while Iraq were held to a 1-1 draw by China.

Fossati said the return of Soria, who had been suspended, and Yasser and Emerson, both back from injury, had made the difference.

"We missed Soria, Yasser and Emerson against Australia. But today all three were available and this did the trick," said Fossati.

"We were playing at home and it was a sell-out crowd. The boys were motivated and the team played well."

Iraq's new coach Adnan Hamad, who took over after their draw against China, said his team suffered from lack of preparation.

"Iraq won the Asian Cup because of our excellent preparation, for about two months the players were together.

"But this time, we had no time to prepare. Most of the players came from different countries, from their leagues and many of them were not 100 per cent fit," Adnan said.

"The early goal also destroyed our confidence," he added. Australia top the group with four points after their 0-0 draw with China on Wednesday. Qatar are second with three points, China have two and Iraq one.

(Editing by Trevor Huggins)