Qatar extends Asian Cup title after hat-trick of penalties against Jordan | Foreign football

In the stadium where Lionel Messi lifted the World Cup more than a year ago, it was now the turn of Qatar and Jordan to compete for an international title. The home country reached the final of the Asian Cup for the first time in 2019 and won it straight away. After the World Cup, in which Qatar was eliminated after losing three matches against the Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal, the focus returned to this continental title.

The team of coach Tintin Márquez managed to win all matches in front of their own audience. After three victories in the group stage (Lebanon (3-0), Tajikistan (1-0), China (1-0)), Palestine was defeated 2-1 in the eighth finals. The biggest challenge turned out to be the quarter-final against Uzbekistan, in which Qatar only won on penalties. In an exciting semi-final, Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s Iran was eliminated 3-2.

The final against Jordan was relatively easy on paper. The Jordanians are participating for only the fifth time in the tournament that has existed since 1956 and have never advanced beyond the quarter-finals. Under the leadership of Hussein Ammouta, South Korea (2-0) and Iraq (2-3) were defeated this year.

However, in the final battle on Saturday evening, Qatar quickly took the lead. Akram Afif scored the opening goal from the spot in the 22nd minute. Jordan stayed in the match well, created some chances and was especially strong after the break. The deserved equalizer came in the 67th minute after Yazan Al Naimat cleverly took the ball and drove it hard into the intersection.

But just five minutes later, Afif was allowed to cross from the spot for the second time after being knocked down himself, and for the second time he beat goalkeeper Yazid Abu Layla in the left corner. In injury time, Qatar received the third penalty and Afif managed to crown himself a hat-trick hero: 3-1. The Doha-born star also determined the final score.

As a result, Qatar joins the list of countries that have won the Asian Cup more than once: South Korea (2), Japan (4), Iran (3) and Saudi Arabia (3). The latter country will be the host country for the next edition in 2027.