(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Armstrong Vas | The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar were crowned champions of Asia for the first time after beating Japan 3-1 in yesterday's AFC Asian Cup final at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Two superb goals from Almoez Ali and Abdelaziz Hatim in the first 30 minutes of the match laid the foundation for a facile win over while Akram Afif added a late penalty to secure the West Asian nation's first-ever continental crown in spectacular fashion.
A spirited second-half display from Japan saw them pulling one back through Takumi Minamino to make it 2-1 but Qatar's goal with seven minutes to go for the final whistle effectively sealed the title for Felix Sanchez coached side.
Qatar got off to a dream start by scoring the opener after just 12 minutes before Hatem added a second in the 27th minute with a stunning long-range effort.
Ali's ninth strike of the competition saw him break Daei's record for the most goals by a player in a single edition of Asia's premier event.
Japan did pull one back nine minutes after the hour mark courtesy of a clinical finish by Takumi Minamino but, with seven minutes left on the clock, Akram Afif converted from 12 yards after Qatar were awarded a penalty to secure a maiden Asian Cup crown for his side.
On a historic night for the Qataris, Felix Sanchez's talented charges recorded their seventh successive victory, while there was unbridled joy for Qatar, the defeat ended Japanese hopes of claiming what would have been a record-extending fifth title.
Having never previously progressed past the quarter-finals, Qatar's triumph will come as a huge boost especially as they are set to make their FIFA World debut as hosts in just three years' time in 2022.
Entering the final with a sensational record of having won their previous six games scoring 16 goals and conceding none in the process Qatar continued their dream run into the final.
Just 12 minutes into the final, Qatar edged ahead courtesy of a fine effort by Almoez, who latched onto Akram's left-wing cross and juggled the ball a couple of times before brilliantly directing an overhead kick into the far corner.
Three minutes before the half-hour mark, the Qataris doubled their lead when Hatem the goal-scoring hero in the quarter-final win over Korea Republic produced another stunning left-footed effort from 25 yards that had Shuichi Gonda beaten all ends up as it bent inside the post.
At this stage, it looked as though Qatar were cruising but, given their status as the tournament's record champions, the Japanese were always going to issue some sort of a response.
And, in the 69th minute, the Samurai Blue duly reduced the deficit when Tsukasa Shiotani's incisive pass was diverted by Yuya Osako into the path of Minamino, who coolly placed his shot over Saad Al Sheeb for his first goal of the tournament.
But, as the game entered its closing stages, Qatar were awarded a penalty with just seven minutes remaining as Maya Yoshida was penalised for handball upon consultation with the Video Assistant Referee after match official Ravshan Irmatov initially allowed play to carry on.
Stepping up to the spot, Akram made no mistake in sending Gonda the wrong way to seal a monumental triumph for Qatar, one that few would argue they do not deserve following a dominant campaign that has seen them emerge as one of Asia's most-exciting national sides defeating some of the continents power houses.
Before the final triumph against Japan, Qatar downed UAE 4-0 in the semi-final, South Korea 1-0 in the last eight stage, while in the pre-quarter-finals Qatar edged Iraq 1-0.
In the group league matches, Qatar began the tournament campaign by beating Lebanon 2-0, following it up with 6-0 win over North Korea and rounded off the group engagements with a facile 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, to finish on top of the group with an all win record.
Two Qatari players, Almoez and Al Sheeb, walked away with the top awards. Almoez got the top goalscorer award for his 9 goals in 7 matches of the 24-team tournament and also the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Al Sheeb bagged the Best Goalkeeper award as he conceded just one goal in seven matches while Japan got the Fair-Play award
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