Ali Jaralla scored twice in the last 10 minutes as defending champion Qatar rallied for a 2-1 win over India on Tuesday in the Asian Games football tournament.
Ravanan Dharmaraj scored in the 19th minute and India held a surprise 1-0 lead until the 80th, when Jaralla equalized in the Group D match.
The Qatari forward scored the winner in the 88th with a left-foot strike from the edge of the area, sparking celebrations on the field for the 2006 gold medalists.
Qatar captain Moarcone Junioe said his lineup wasted a lot of opportunities in the first half but become more aggressive later in the game.
''The victory has given us a lot of confidence,'' he said. ''There is pressure to defend our title. I hope we can create the same spirit as in 2006 - there is great hope.''
Qatar was a late qualifier for the quarterfinals when it hosted the Asian Games four years ago, then beat Thailand, Iran and Saudi Arabia to claim the title.
Qatar is second in the group on four points behind Kuwait, which assured progress to the next stage with a 2-0 win later Tuesday over Singapore to move to six points.
The Qataris need at least a draw against Kuwait in their last group match to ensure they advance.
In other matches, Mohammed Fawzi Abdalla scored twice as the United Arab Emirates opened with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh and Hong Kong edged Uzbekistan 1-0 in Group E. Thailand was held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Oman in Group F.
Ahmed Khalil Aljenaiby opened the scoring a minute into the second half for UAE and Abdalla made it 2-0 with a 20-yard volley in the 55th. He added the final goal in the 63rd.
At the Guangndong People's Stadium, Oman was reduced to 10 men in the 20th minute when Mohamed Saghayer Jaber was red carded for a foul on Anawin Jujen just outside the area. Maldives and Pakistan played to a 0-0 draw in the other Group F match.
Thailand went ahead in the 44th on an own goal from Amer Said Al Shatri's attempted clearance. Oman responded quickly with a 23-yard free kick from Al Moatasim Al Mukhaini and defended for the remainder of the match.
