Canada's Charles-Andreas Brym in action with Qatar's Bassam Hisham Ali Al-Rawi during a friendly match at Estadio Franz Horr, Vienna, Austria, on September 23, 2022. (REUTERS/Lisa Leutner)
VIENNA: Canada beat Qatar a 2-0 in an international friendly at the Franz Horr Stadium in Vienna, Austria on Friday.
Both of Canada’s goals came within the opening 13 minutes in a match both sides used as preparation for November's FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Finals.
Qatar, who have been in intensive training behind closed doors, came into the tie eager to produce their best but found Canada equally motivated.
Qatar's Al Annabi pose for a team group photo before the match. (REUTERS/Lisa Leutner)
The Canadians, who are ranked 43rd in the FIFA rankings – five places above the reigning Asian champions – got off to a fantastic start with Cyle Larin giving them the lead as early as the fourth minute.
Qatar looked to regroup after the early blow but were hit again in the 13th minute, with Jonathan David widening Canada's advantage.
Despite their best efforts, there was no coming back for Qatar, who meet Chile in another friendly on Tuesday.
Canada's Junior Hoilett in action with Qatar's Akram Afif and Homam Ahmed. (REUTERS/Lisa Leutner)
A group of 30 players are part of Qatar’s final preparations for more than three months, which included a training camp in Spain besides the ongoing camp in Austria.
After the friendlies, Qatar squad will briefly return home and will hold an open training session on October 2. They will return to Spain for more isolation before the World Cup starts.
Al Annabi will kick off their World Cup campaign with their first Group A match against Ecuador in tournament’s opening game on November 20 at Al Bayt Stadium.
