Afif nets penalty hat trick as Qatar defeats Jordan, 3-1, to retain Asian Cup crown in Lusail Stadium
LUSAIL, Qatar — Qatar successfully defended their Asian Cup crown after beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday at Lusail Stadium where Akram Afif converted three penalties as the hosts won their second continental title.
Jordan were playing in their first Asian Cup final and seeking their first major trophy, but it was Qatar who prevailed in front of 86,492 fans including Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Yazan Al-Naimat had briefly given Jordan hope when he netted an equalizer in the second half but their dreams were shattered when they conceded two more penalties, put away by Mr. Afif who finished as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.
Mr. Afif, who was thrown into the air repeatedly by his team mates after the final whistle, also picked up the award for player of the match and most valuable player of the tournament.
Qatar took the lead when Mr. Afif won a penalty in the 20th minute as he tried to skip past Abdallah Nasib, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot as Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta reacted furiously on the touchline.
Qatar skipper Hassan Al-Haydos hovered near the penalty spot but once Jordan’s players were out of the way, he handed the ball to Mr. Afif and the forward stepped up to find the bottom corner from the spot.
The goal was the first Jordan had conceded since their dramatic last-16 win over Iraq and Mr. Afif celebrated his strike by performing a card trick for the cameras, displaying the letter ‘S’.
“’S’ is the first letter of my wife’s name, she’s from Kuwait. Today’s match was her first in the stadium,” Mr. Afif said. Jordan switched gears in the second half and pegged Qatar back as they began to find space in behind the defense.
Yazan Al-Arab nearly equalised with a sensational volley from a corner that was hit straight at the keeper while a back-heeled effort at the near post from Ali Olwan moments later went inches wide.
They finally found the equalizer midway through the second half when Mr. Al-Naimat controlled a cross with a sublime first touch, escaping his marker to fire home an uncontested shot for his fourth of the tournament.
Parity lasted only six minutes, however, as Qatar won another penalty after a VAR check for a trip by Mahmoud Al-Mardi and Afif made no mistake from the spot.
With 13 minutes added on, Jordan tried their best to find an equalizer once again but Qatar won a third penalty in stoppage time when Mr. Afif was through on goal and brought down by goalkeeper Yazid Abu Layla.
The forward kept his composure and stepped up one last time to put the game out of reach for Jordan as the home fans in the stadium erupted and unfurled a huge banner which featured their heroes from 2019 and the words “2023 loading.”
Opposition coaches who have faced him have praised his skills, with Tajikistan’s Petar Segrt saying it was only a question of time and whether the 27-year-old Al-Sadd forward wanted to return to Europe.
Since leading Qatar to the 2019 title with a tournament record 10 assists, Mr. Afif has become one of Asia’s most-feared players.
At the start of this tournament, he said he had dreams of returning to Europe having previously played for Eupen in the Belgian Pro League.
He later became the first Qatari player to be signed by a LaLiga club when he moved to Villarreal in 2016, but he was loaned out to Sporting Gijon before returning to Eupen and finally to Al-Sadd in 2018.
He has since developed and is arguably playing at his peak based on his Asian Cup exploits.
“I talked about becoming a professional player (in Europe). But it’s not me who decides. My wife also has to make the decision for me. It’s not easy to leave the club and country,” Mr. Afif told reporters after the final.
But he added: “I’d love to become a professional player (in Europe) … I’d say I would love to go.” — Reuters