The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Sports Sideshow

It can’t be easy living in Qatar. It’s hot and sandy and most Americans can’t even point to the country on a world map. Your men’s soccer team didn’t help out your standing on the international stage this week, either.

Qatar played Uzbekistan in a quarterfinal match in the Asian Games tournament and took a scoreless tie into stoppage time. Then an Uzbekistan defender triggers a series of big mistakes normally expected of eight-year-olds.

Big mistake number one: He played the ball back into his own penalty box. Big mistake number two: The keeper came off his line to try and clear the ball. Like Prince Fielder with a full count, he swung wildly and missed.

Keeper indisposed, Qatari forward Fahad Khalfan had the ball at his feet and the soccer holy grail in front of him: 192 square feet of nylon netting. An open goal. Breaking a 0-0 tie doesn’t get any easier, right?

The Qatari forward moved the ball to the center of the pitch, literally three feet from the mouth of the goal and three feet from moving on to the semifinal.

Instead, big mistake number three: Khalfan tried to punch it in with the outside of his left foot instead of the inside of his right foot. The ball came off all wrong and bounced off the far post.

Now, people say this all the time and it’s usually an exaggeration, but in this case, it’s 100 percent true: I could’ve put this ball in the net and triggered Qatari jubilation not seen since…well, the last time something good happened in Qatar.

Naturally, they would go on to lose in extra time, left with nothing but embarrassment and continued American ignorance of the country’s geographic location.

Visit the Marquette Tribune website to see this incredible miss for yourself.

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