Qatar’s passage to the 2007 Asian Cup finals was a relatively comfortable one as they sealed qualification with two games to go thanks to five consecutive victories before losing their final match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

However, Dzemaludin Musovic’s side will be hoping for a different outcome this summer to what happened three years ago in China when they kick off their Group B campaign, even though they face defending champions Japan, Gulf Cup champions UAE and co-hosts Vietnam.

Qatar and China were the favourites to qualify from Group A in 2004 but a disappointing showing saw the Qataris – then coached by Philippe Troussier - eventually finish bottom of the group with only one point from three matches.

Defeats to China and Indonesia were coupled with a draw against Bahrain but the early exit did not affect the team as they subsequently claimed their second Gulf Cup in December of the same year in Doha.

And with the Qatar league widely recognised as one of the best in the region, the national team is now firmly in the spotlight and their fans will be hoping that their seventh appearance in the AFC Asian Cup finals will be a successful one.

Qatar first took part in the Asian Cup in 1980 but never made it past the group stage until 2000 in Lebanon, before going out to China after a 3-1 defeat in the last eight.

The tournament in 2000 remains the one and only time they have made it through the first phase, but this summer Musovic has plenty of talent at his disposal and the Bosnian will be bidding to lead Qatar into the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

However, one crucial loss will be AFC Player of the Year Khalfan Ibrahim Khalfan, who was sidelined for a lengthy period of time after tearing the cruciate ligament in his knee.
Despite Khalfan’s absence, there are plenty of talented youngsters towards whom Qatar will be able to turn, such as Al Sadd duo Ali Naser and Mesaad Al Hamad, both still only 21, and Al Rayyan’s 20-year-old midfielder Waleed Jassim.

The 1999 AFC Young Player of the Year Waleed Hamzah, who now plies his trade with Al Arabi, will also play a vital role and his experience from the 2004 finals will doubtless prove invaluable.
The key player, however, will be former Antwerp, Manchester City and AEL Limassol forward Hussain Yasser who will be looking to continue his impressive form from the recent Gulf Cup in UAE.

Yasser will be partnered up front by Sebastian Soria, who will be hoping for a prolific tournament and build on his four goals to date, while Wesam Rizk, Saad Sattam Al Shammari, Bilal Mohammed and Sayd Bachir will provide further experience having featured prominently in previous Asian Cup tournaments.

So the Qatar side will be very much a mix of youth and experience and Musovic will be hoping to find the right formula to help Qatar erase the painful memories of three years ago.