Almost five years after going against all odds to beat Japan 3-1 to lift the AFC Asian Cup trophy at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Al Annabi is very much on course to defend the continental title on home soil in Qatar.
The team, who had an outing to forget at the FIFA World Cup in 2022, have been in amazing form at the tournament which started on January 12. Leading the charge of the team is Akram Afif, and the team, coached by Tintín Márquez, have been providing unending joy to the fans, who have continued to lend amazing support to them.
The Qatari team at the ongoing Asian Cup seems completely different from the team that lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil on their way to a first-round exit just over a year ago, the worst record of any host in the competition’s history.
They hold a 100 percent record at the moment, having won all the two matches played, to be the first team to qualify for the next round of the tournament.
The Qatari football team qualified for the round of 16 after beating the Tajikistan team 1-0 last Wednesday in their confrontation at Al-Bayt Stadium within the third round of Group A.
The flamboyant footballer Afif scored the sole goal in the 18th minute to add to the two goals scored in the opening match against Lebanon, and with this victory, the Qatari squad became certain that they had topped the group after upscaling their points to six and taking advantage of the goalless matches between China and Lebanon.
By this triumph, Tajikistan points become frozen at one point within the group. Qatar are assured of a top spot in Group A, regardless of what happens in their final group game against China on Monday.
Qatar replaced coach Felix Sanchez with Carlos Queiroz after the World Cup, but changed direction again when Marquez was brought in only one month before the Asian Cup.
Coming so close to the tournament, it was a huge gamble, but it is definitely paying off at the moment.
Though it is a bit early for Qatar to be counting the chicks as there are “still many eggs left to be hatched,” nevertheless, the performance of the team has been very impressive, with signs and inklings of the same determined spirit that saw them overcome all the challenges, both on-field and off-field, thrown at them in the UAE years ago to bring resplendent smiles and joy to the nation back then.
If Qatar succeeds in lifting the trophy come February 10, Qatar will be joining the exclusive ranks of back-to-back winners of the competition—a list that so far has South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
Mabrook Qatar on your great run at the Asian Cup.
