The chairman and chief executive of the HKFA had repeatedly pleaded with fans to remain quiet and now it remains to be seen whether the match commissioner will report the incident before possible sanctions by Fifa.

MORE: Fifa warn Hong Kong over booing anthem

Chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak said he thought the booing hadn't been as prominent as in previous games - fans were seen telling others to cut it out - but the HKFA would have to wait and see what the commissioner's report contained, and it was too early to speculate about possible punishment.

Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon was delighted with the never-say-die attitude of his players and the fans.

“Our game plan was upstaged after going three goals down, but the passion and determination of the players has to be praised,” said Kim. “We should also thank the supporters as they gave the players the power to last till the end of the game and I have never seen such support since I came here.”

MORE: Fifa has a cheek to lecture HK over morals - but they should heed warning

Ranked 94, 57 places above HK, Qatar still weren't too impressive, despite pressing from the off. Most of their attacks were from long balls and failed to test the hosts, who had a glimpse of goal early when Jaimes McKee was set free by Chan Siu-ki on the left but saw his shot deflected.

It took a controversy to - briefly - silence the crowd, before they turned their ire on the South Korean referee.

Goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai had been penalised apparently for holding the ball too long on a kick-out - an offence almost never punished. The resulting indirect free-kick inside the box came off the wall for a 22nd-minute corner, from which Karim Boudiaf headed home from 12 metres with Yapp unsighted. It was the first goal he allowed in eight games.

“Yapp was judged to have held the ball for more than six seconds in the box but I have never seen [a free-kick given for that] before in my life," raged coach Kim. "Some of the decisions were also against us, but this is sport and we have to accept it.”

Xu Deshaui and Christian Annan were brought in after the break to instil more energy, but instead the visitors took control. An individual effort by captain Hasan Al-Haydos came close then Yapp denied him, before left-back Abdelkarim Hassan, probably the most impressive player on the field, tested Yapp again.

He then made sure he gave Yapp no chance with a blistering left-foot drive from the corner of Hong Kong's 18-yard box low across the goal in the 62nd minute. Though Hong Kong fought back well they were hit on the break with six minutes left, Mohamed Musa tapping in after another scorcher from Abdelkarim which Yapp could only parry.

Now third in the table, Hong Kong will need a good result against China at home to keep their hopes alive. “We have to improve our counter attacks to be more acute and some of our on-pitch decisions," added Kim.

"We are still in preseason and I hope the players can get more match fitness when the season begins. Our target is to finish second in the group.”

Qatar coach Jose Carreno said his team had 80 per cent control of the match, although admitted they came under pressure in the closing stages.

“We fully took the advantage by going into a three-goal lead and then Hong Kong tried to fight back as they had nothing to lose,” he said. “I would not mind if we finish the remaining matches all with a 3-2 win.”

Goalscorer Bai He said Hong Kong's performance was acceptable, but the team were disappointed they had failed to send the fans home with a point.

“The game plan was different from the last match against China as we did not focus only on defence,” said the midfielder.

“We followed the instruction of the coach well throughout the match but in the end we were short of the badly needed goal to complete the mission.”

The rousing finish left fans partying long after the final whistle - but will they have to watch the next game from home?