Qatar and El Salvador Play Out Scoreless Draw in Pre-World Cup Friendly

Qatar's World Cup preparations came to a close with a goalless draw against El Salvador at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday. A tight and physical encounter that ended without a winner but gave head coach Julen Lopetegui plenty to think about ahead of the tournament.

The Spanish tactician used the occasion to assess 19 players across 90 minutes, rotating his squad deliberately as he fine tunes his plans before Qatar's campaign gets underway next week.
Akram Afif, Edmilson Junior and Yousef Abdurisag led the attack from the start, with the experienced partnership of Pedro Miguel and Boualem Khoukhi anchoring the defence. Ahmed Fathy and Jassim Gaber controlled the midfield, giving Qatar a solid foundation to build from.

The Maroons were first to threaten, with Issa Laye heading over from an Afif cross in the 13th minute. Edmilson Junior tested the keeper from range shortly after but could not find the target. Qatar's best moment came when Afif latched onto a pass inside the box, only to see his shot clear the bar at a crucial moment.
El Salvador were no pushovers. Styven Vasquez forced goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada into action on more than one occasion, and Jefferson Valladares came agonisingly close in the second half with a fierce effort that narrowly missed the top corner.

Lopetegui made changes throughout, bringing on Assim Madibo, Karim Boudiaf, Hassan Al Haydos, Tahseen Mohammed and Mohammed Al Mannai among others but the deadlock remained unbroken at the final whistle.

The 0-0 result extends Qatar's winless run in recent friendlies, but with the World Cup now just days away, results in warm up games matter far less than readiness. Lopetegui will have walked away with a clearer picture of where his squad stands going into the biggest stage in football.

Qatar open their group campaign against Switzerland on June 13, before facing Canada on June 18, a game that kicks off in the early hours of June 19 Doha time. The group stage then wraps up against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 24.

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