(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Fawad Hussain | The Peninsula
Doha:Qatar's historic AFC Asian Cup triumph seems nothing less than a fairy tale.
Their 3-1 victory against giants Japan in the final culminated their dream run in continent's premier national team event despite their ordeal in the UAE, winning them many hearts all over the world.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts entered the 24-team competition with just an outside chance of winning their first major title in presence of Asian powerhouses like four-time champions Japan, South Korea and Iran.
But the gutsy Al Annabi side, coached by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, stunned all who came on their way with dominating performance throughout the tournament.
Yesterday, Qatar started as underdogs against Japan, ranked 43 places higher than them in the FIFA rankings but that made a little impact as Sanchez's men toppled their counterparts to clinch their first-ever Asian Cup title.
Earlier in the tournament, they shocked South Korea (40 places higher) in the quarter-finals, and Saudi Arabia to finish on top of in their group.
The game of the tournament was Qatar's battle against the UAE in the semi-final, dubbed as the ‘blockade derby' which they won 4-0 after outclassing the hosts.
During the victory, Qatar had to brave hostile onlookers in the match but the players remained calm and focused despite several sandal-throwing incidents. The team continued to play with true spirit of the game and was applauded by many included popular coach Jose Mourinho.
'I feel I should applaud (Qatar's performance) because I think it is a victory for strategy, organisation and pragmatism. I think they played the way they wanted to play, said Mourinho while assessing Qatar's performance earlier in the tournament.
While the Qatari spectators could not attend the games because of a travel ban in the UAE, attempts by the organisers to block support for Al Annabi totally went in vain as fans from other nationalities including the South Koreans and Omanis continued to back Qatar.
'It's like a dream come true. This victory will go a long way in making Qatar a football force, Abdulaziz, 22, a Qatari football fan, said.
'We had already won when we defeated the UAE 4-0 in front of hostile fans and this win over Japan is just icing on the cake, he added.
Another enthusiast thanked fans who supported Qatar in UAE stadiums.
'We really appreciate their support as we were just confined to cheering our national side from screens at home, said Khalid Abdullah.
Apart from winning the first-ever title, Qatar achieved individual milestones as well.
When Almoez Ali scored yesterday final's first goal with a fabulous overhead kick, he became the first man to score 9 goals in a single edition, surpassing Iran legend Ali Daei, who scored eight goals in the 1996 tournament.
Qatar's goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb, who conceded first goal in the tournament in second half, yesterday also completed 609 minutes with a clean sheet, a new continental record.
Prior to the AFC Asian Cup, Qatar achieved several stunning results including their win over World No. 8 Switzerland in a November friendly. However, there latest triumph is believed to boost the side ahead of major tournaments including this summer's Copa America as they prepare for the home World Cup.
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