Qatar beat Jordan 3-1 thanks to Akram Afif’s hattrick of penalties to win the Asian Cup for the second time in a row at the Lusail Stadium.
The result meant hosts Qatar became the fifth team to win back-to-back Asian titles, having also triumphed in 2019.
Yazan Al-Naimat’s second-half goal had leveled matters after Afif had dispatched a first-half penalty.
However, Afif scored twice more from the spot in the closing stages after video assistant referee checks to finish the tournament with eight goals.
Jordan had been aiming to win the Asian Cup for the first time having stunned South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals to reach their first final.
Qatar revels in continental success after World Cup disappointment
The Qatari contingent of the 86,492 reported attendees cheered their team on as they looked to banish the memories of the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in the Gulf nation. The global tournament saw them finish bottom of their group and an embarrassing exit.
But the team have delivered continental success in back-to-back editions of the ASIAN CUP. This run and the win comes with a team which much more rounded off in terms of overall play.
27-year-old Akram Afif had played a defining role in lifting his side to an upset 3-2 win over Iran in the semifinals just days prior and scored all three penalties in a tense final to help his team secure a famous win.
In 2019, Afif provided ten assists and netted once as Qatar secured their first continental crown. This time around, propelled by his hat-trick in the decider, he has taken out the tournament’s Golden Boot with eight goals, as well as grabbing a further three assists.
Qatar will now look to develop their team better in the next two years and hope to first qualify for the FIFA World Cup in North America and then have a better showing at the event than they did the last time.
For now, the nation will bask in the glory of a second ASIAN Cup title that already puts them on level with continental powerhouse South Korea and two behind all-time leaders Japan.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
