Qatar, the Asian Cup hosts, kickstarted their title defence with a 3-0 win over Lebanon in the tournament opener on Friday thanks to a brace from Akram Afif, their prized playmaker, and another goal from Almoez Ali.
Following a glitzy opening ceremony, with Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in attendance at Lusail Stadium, the two attackers stole the show to kick off the tournament with three points for the hosts.
Qatar had an early goal ruled out for offside but, after a period of dominance, Afif finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when he pounced on a lay-off by Ali in the box to make it 1-0.
Afif was the busiest player in the final third, staying two steps ahead of the Lebanon defence, finding space and creating plenty of chances which were wasted, while the playmaker also saw a header graze the crossbar on its way over.
Ali, top scorer in the 2019 edition, doubled the lead in the 56th minute when he headed home Mohammed Waad’s inviting cross from the left flank. Lebanon had their moments on the counter-attack to give their travelling fans some hope, but Qatar held firm.
Afif rounded off the victory in stoppage time when he pounced on a botched clearance and easily accelerated past a tiring Lebanon defence before applying a calm finish to make it 3-0. China play Tajikistan in the other Group A game on Saturday.
