Abdulla Koni

Abdulla Obaid Koni (Arabic: عبد الله كوني; born on 19 July 1979) is a Qatari former professional footballer of Senegalese descent who played as a defender for Al Sadd and naturalized to represent the Qatar national team.[1] He also played for their youth national team.[2]

Abdulla Koni
Koni in 2011
Personal information
Full name Abdulla Obaid Koni
Date of birth (1979-07-19) 19 July 1979
Place of birth Dakar, Senegal
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1990–1996 Al Sadd
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2014 Al Sadd 222 (15)
International career
1998–1999 Qatar U–20 3 (0)
1997–2012 Qatar 47 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Koni was born in Senegal. He captained Al Sadd to victory in the AFC Champions League in 2011. In the round of 16 of the tournament, he scored a decisive header against Al Shabab which turned out to be the winner. His team went on to win the tournament, defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final in South Korea. As a result of the AFC Champions League triumph, he led his team into the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup. In the quarter-finals, he scored the winning goal against Espérance de Tunis slotting in a cross from teammate Lee Jung-Soo, earning his team a 2–1 victory. This set up a semi-final confrontation against Barcelona on 15 December 2011.

With Barcelona leading 1–0 in the 36th minute, Barcelona forward David Villa timed a run well and allowed for a ball to be played over the top into the path of his run. Villa and Koni raced toward the Al Sadd net. As the ball hit the ground, Villa failed to corral the ball, allowing Koni the time to catch up and challenge for the ball on its next bounce. He made a shoulder challenge on Villa as he attempted to strike the ball, causing Villa to fall awkwardly on his left leg and break it. Because of this, Koni was dubbed as "maybe the most influential player of the Euro 2012",[3] even though Spain went on to win the tournament without Villa.

Career statistics

International goals
Scores and results list Qatar's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Koni goal.[4]
List of international goals scored by Abdulla Koni
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
129 November 2003Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore Singapore1–02–02004 Asian Cup qual.[5]
28 January 2004Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait Kuwait1–12–12003 Gulf Cup of Nations
31 December 2004 Lebanon4–04–1Friendly match
416 November 2007Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar Georgia1–11–2Friendly match

Honours

Club

Al Sadd

References
  1. FIFA.com - Abdulla Koni
  2. "Abdulla Obaid Koni". 11v11.com. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. "Abdulla Koni: The Qatari Player Who May Have Decided Euro 2012". bleacherreport.com. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. Koni, Abdullah Obaid
  5. Asian Nations Cup 2004
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