Hosts Qatar retained the Asian Cup with a 3-1 win on Saturday towards shock packages Jordan with Akram Afif the house hero with a hat-trick of penalties. It was a becoming last act to a month of soccer that started with 24 groups and witnessed a collection of dramatic video games. It may even assist dispel the recollections of Qatar’s World Cup, after they misplaced all three video games, the worst report of any host within the competitors’s historical past. Playing in entrance of 86,492 spectators at Lusail Stadium, which staged the World Cup last 14 months in the past, Jordan have been of their first Asian Cup last and contesting the most important sport of their historical past.
Ranked 87th in FIFA’s world rankings, 29 locations under their opponents, they fell behind halfway by way of the primary half when ahead Afif held his nerve with a penalty for his sixth purpose of the match.
Qatar totally deserved their half-time lead however Jordan roared again to equalise by way of Yazan Al-Naimat’s good end.
The underdogs have been degree nevertheless for simply six minutes, Afif slotting dwelling as soon as once more from the penalty spot after the referee was suggested by VAR to go to his pitch-side monitor.
This time there was to be no Jordan comeback and Afif scored once more from the spot for his hat-trick in damage time, once more after a VAR intervention.
At the ultimate whistle the triumphant Qatari substitutes raced from the bench and threw Afif within the air.
Afif holds nerve
Qatar got here into the ultimate trying to turn into the fifth crew to carry back-to-back Asian titles and hoping to erase the bitter recollections of their dwelling World Cup.
Qatar parachuted within the Spaniard Tintin Marquez to interchange former Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz only a month earlier than the Asian Cup, in a significant gamble that paid off handsomely.
His facet began the ultimate the higher and had a few early sniffs at purpose by way of hazard man Afif, earlier than Jordan’s centre-forward Naimat stung the palms of dwelling goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham.
Qatar went forward on 22 minutes when the livewire Afif, enjoying off the left, was clipped within the field by Abdallah Nasib.
Afif brushed himself right down to plant his spotkick into the underside nook, simply beating the outstretched arms of Yazeed Abulaila, to affix Iraq’s Aymen Hussein because the joint main scorer within the competitors.
In an uncommon celebration, the 27-year-old Afif did a card trick, produced a enjoying card along with his image on it earlier than the picture flipped to an “S”.
Jordan, who defeated Son Heung-min’s South Korea 2-Zero to succeed in the ultimate, had their finest likelihood in first-half damage time however Mousa Al-Tamari’s first-time effort was blocked by Mohammed Waad.
Hussein Ammouta’s Jordan have been disappointing within the first half however they cranked up the strain within the second, Montpellier’s Tamari, captain Ehsan Haddad and Yazan Al-Arab all forcing Barsham into saves.
The purpose was coming and within the 67th minute it duly arrived, Naimat bringing the ball down along with his proper foot after which thrashing in along with his left on the half-volley for his fourth of the match.
Qatar and Afif responded nearly instantly nevertheless, and he produced the cardboard trick as soon as extra after beating Abulaila from the spot for a second time, this time in much more convincing style.
It was Afif, inevitably, who gained the third penalty and he did the enterprise as soon as once more for his eighth purpose of the match.
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