Abdulla Koni

Abdulla Obaid Koni (Arabic: عبد الله كوني‎, born on July 19, 1979, in Senegal) is a retired Qatari footballer of Senegalese descent who was a defender for Al Sadd. He was also a member of the Qatar national football team.[1] He also played for their national youth team.[2]

Abdulla Koni
Personal information
Full name Abdulla Obaid Koni
Date of birth (1979-07-19) July 19, 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 342 (13)
National team‡
1998–1999 Qatar U–20 3 (0)
1997–2012 Qatar 47 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of December 10, 2014
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 10, 2012

Career

Koni 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 the 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]

Career statistics

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.29 November 2003Singapore Singapore0–2Won2004 Asian Cup qual.
2.8 January 2004Al-Sadaqua Walsalam Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait Kuwait1–2Won2003 Gulf Cup of Nations
3.16 November 2007Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar Georgia1–2LostFriendly match
Correct as of 14 November 2015[4][5][6]

Honours

Club

Al Sadd:

Bronze Medalist, 2011
2011
2001
1999–2000, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13
2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007
1998, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008
1998, 2000, 2002, 2007
2010-11

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. "الكويت قطر". Archived from the original on 2015-11-17. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  5. Koni, Abdullah Obaid
  6. Asian Nations Cup 2004
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