Qatar thrashed Lebanon 3-0 in the opening game of the AFC Asian Cup with a dominating performance. The Group A game took place in Lusail Stadium on Friday. The stadium also hosted the FIFA World Cup Final in 2022, between Argentina and France.
Qatar’s striker Akram Afif scored a brace in the match, coming up with a scintillating performance and proving that he is the Talisman for Qatar. He scored the first goal in the 45th minute and used his pace and technique in the 96th minute for a decisive finish.
Akram Afif previously scored 13 goals and provided 8 assists for his domestic club Al-Sadd in the Qatar Stars League before coming into the mega event. Almoez Ali scored the second goal of the game with a textbook header from the 18-yard box, giving control to the AFC Asian Cup defending champions in their opening game.
Al-Annabi opens the #AsianCup2023 with a win
🇶🇦 3 🆚 0 🇱🇧 #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/713UPIc1bn
— The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (@RoadtoQatar_en) January 12, 2024
The defending Asian Cup champions will now face Tajikistan on January 17 and China on January 22, if they win one game out of these two fixtures, they will qualify for the Round of 16.
According to AFC Asian Cup rules, the top two sides from each group will be joined by best-ranked third-place teams. The four best-ranked, third-place teams out of the six groups will also qualify.
India will take on Australia today in the 18th edition of the competition and will look to create an upset in Group B. The Blue Tigers are the only side from the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) to participate in this year’s AFC Asian Cup and will make their 5th appearance in the competition.
