DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Iraq beat Qatar to earn the last Olympic qualifying place for Asian nations at the Rio de Janeiro Games after a 2-1 win on Friday in a third-place playoff match at the Asian Under-23 Championship in Doha.
The Iraqis join South Korea and Japan - who play in Saturday’s final - as Asia’s three teams in the 16-nation tournament lineup in Brazil.
Qatar hoped to take the Olympics berth as a key stage in its players’ development for the 2022 World Cup it will host, and was just minutes from victory.
In the 86th minute, Mohannad Abdul-Raheem scored for Iraq to level following a 27th-minute goal for Qatar by Ahmed Alaa.
Iraq won it in the 109th through a headed goal by Ayman Hussein.
