Football: Qatar v Iraq half time

The hosts nearly opened the scoring after six minutes when Sebastian Quintana went close to adding to his four goals in the competition. The striker connected with a header from a corner but saw it pushed onto the bar by Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Khadum.

Qatar continued to dominate as Ali Nasser Saleh dragged a shot wide from 20 yards and Khalfan Ibrahi Al Khalfan tricked his way past four players but failed to deliver a telling cross from the right wing.

On 32 minutes Qatar went close again when Mohammed Bilal Rajab was left unmarked in the penalty area but did not connect properly with his header.

Iraq showed little attacking ambition of their own and relied heavily on breaking from defence at pace. Their best opportunity came after 38 minutes when Alaa Khasen ran at a retreating Qatar back line only to squander possession all too easily.

Late in the half a chance fell to Qatar's Wesam Rizik Abdulmajid but his tame header was easily saved by Khadum.

With seconds to go before the whistle, Quintana took a ball on the left and sent two defenders the wrong way as he cut inside to open up an ambitious shooting opportunity. But the tall forward, too intent on shooting, kept his head down and failed to see an unmarked teammate in a much better position on the edge of the box.

Quintana let fly"¦and the ball went out for a throw. Referee Hiroyoshi Takayama blew the whistle, and Qatar trooped off for their half-time team talk with missed chances on their minds.

15th Asian Games, Doha 2006