The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ came to a scintillating climax last week in Doha as Qatar beat Jordan to lift the coveted continental trophy. Yet, while Qatar will go down in history after winning the prestigious tournament twice in a row, it was by no means the only story that captured the imagination during the 18th edition of Asia’s most prestigious tournament.
In fact, this year’s tournament was filled with storylines of shocks and super-strikes, dazzling debuts, and last-minute heroics, all of which were broadcast live in 21 countries across the Middle East and North Africa on beIN SPORTS in both Arabic and English. As the ticker tape is swept up inside the Lusail Stadium and the players jet out of Qatar to return to domestic football, we look back on five of the most memorable moments from the past month.
Qatar winger Akram Afif wasted no time picking up where he left off when the hosts got the tournament underway against Lebanon on 12 January. Afif, who plies his trade at Al Sadd, scored the final goal of the Asian Cup in 2019, dispatching a late penalty to secure his country a historic first title. This year, cheered on by jubilant home support, he opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time with a cool side-footed finish to set up what became not only a comfortable 3-0 win, but a harbinger of what other teams could expect from the reigning champions and their big-haired wide man. Afif finished the tournament with eight goals, earning the Golden Boot after pulling away from Iraq’s Aymen Hussein 6 goal tally through an incredible hat-trick in the final. Qatar also scored the goal of the tournament in their group-stage win over China, when Hassan Al-Haydos netted a stunning volley direct from an Afif’s corner, as well as the tournament’s 100th goal in their 2-1 win over Palestine in the Round of 16.
With their country at war, players having lost loved ones or with family trapped in Gaza, and the team forced to train overseas pre-tournament, few fans gave Palestine much hope before a ball was kicked. And they gave them even less afterwards as, in their opening match with Iran, Palestine found themselves three goals down within 38 minutes. Yet in their second match, cheered on by a fervent supportive crowd, they managed to eke out a draw with the UAE before the final group game, which really captured the world’s attention. Beating Hong Kong 3-0, the victory saw them advance to the knock-out stages for the first time in the country’s history. Even in losing to Qatar, there was an element of victory as they made the reigning champions work for their passage, taking the lead and falling only to an Afif penalty early in the second half. Coach Makram Daboub referred to his players as “my champions” after the defeat, and few could argue otherwise.
Four-time winners Japan reached the final in 2019, and with the likes of captain Wataru Endo of Liverpool, Brighton’s twinkle-toed playmaker Kaoru Mitoma, and Arsenal right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu, they were one of the hot favourites coming into the competition. Yet Iraq had other ideas. With both teams beating Indonesia and Vietnam, the group winner was decided by their head-to-head. Iraq’s 2-1 victory then was arguably one of the shocks of the tournament given all that Japan has achieved in recent years – not least beating both Germany and Spain at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Aymen Hussein scored headers at either end of the first half in which the Arab side channeled their country’s historic AFC Asian Cup win of 2007. Japan pulled one back in injury time, but Iraq held on and progressed as group leaders before falling to Jordan. Meanwhile, Japan beat Bahrain but fell to Iran in the quarterfinals.
They may have been playing in their first-ever Asian Cup, but tournament debutants Tajikistan gradually found their feet as they progressed to the knock-out stages courtesy of a stunning late turnaround in their final group stage match with Lebanon. Having failed to score in their first two matches – a stalemate with China and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Qatar – they had it all to do after falling behind early in the second half of what was essentially a play-off to progress. Parvizdzhon Umarbayev, however, made history, curling home a free-kick to level the tie with just 10 minutes to go before Nuriddin Khamrokulov looped in a header in added time to send the Tajiki bench – led by the charismatic Petar Segrt – into ecstasy. In the Round of 16, they held an underwhelming UAE to a 1-1 draw before eliminating the 2019 hosts on penalties 5-3 to progress to the last eight. And that’s where their journey ended, slipping to a cruel 1-0 loss to Jordan by way of an own goal.
In the final game witnessed by a record-breaking home crowd, Qatar triumphed over Jordan with a score of 3-1, marking their second consecutive championship win. Akram Afif emerged as the standout player for Qatar, securing a hat-trick of penalties in the final match that not only led his team to victory but also earned him the Golden Boot award with a total of eight goals throughout the tournament. His performance was instrumental in Qatar’s success and led to him being named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. The final was a testament to Qatar’s dominance, with Jordan providing a strong challenge but ultimately falling short against the defending champions’ superior play. Meshaal Barsham, Qatar’s goalkeeper, was awarded the Best Goalkeeper honour for his critical role in the team’s triumph, showcasing the depth of talent in the Qatari squad. This victory underscores Qatar’s growing stature in Asian football, as they joined the ranks of only five teams to successfully defend their title in the 68-year history of the AFC Asian Cup.
Source and cover image credit: Press release
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