Defending champion Qatar defeated Lebanon in the opening match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup and defended the pride of the host country.
Qatar won 3-0 with Akram Afif’s multiple goals in the first Group A match against Lebanon at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar on the 13th (Korea time).
Qatar, the winner of the 2019 tournament, soothed the disappointment of eliminating all group losses at the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in November 2022 in the country for the first time in more than a year.
Prior to the opening match, a spectacular opening show and fireworks were held at Lusail Stadium, entertaining the eyes of 82,490 home fans.
Qatar, ranked 58th in the FIFA rankings, pushed hard from the first half against Lebanon (107th), which is considered the underdog. With counterattacks in the 6th minute of the first half, Almoez Ali, who swept both the top scorer and best player at the 2019 Asian Cup, rushed to the left side of the goal area and scored with a right foot shot.
However, his goal was cancelled as offside was declared as a result of VAR. It was the first result of the “Semi-Automatic Offside Reading Technology (SAOT),” which was applied to the Asian Cup for the first time.
Qatar’s first goal was finally scored in the 45th minute of the first half, and the main character was Qatar’s striker Akram Afif, who was the 2019 AFC Player of the Year.
Afif hit the ball that Ali pushed from the front of the penalty area in the 45th minute of the first half with his right foot shot into the right corner of Lebanon’s net. It was his first goal of the tournament.
Qatar, which finished the first half with a score of 1-0, predicted victory as it scored an additional goal in the 11th minute of the second half. Mohammed Wad crossed the pass that Afif sent to the left side, and Ali, who was rushing in front of the goal area, scored with a header.
Ali has scored a total of 10 goals at the Asian Cup, tying with Lee Dong-gook for second place in the history of Asian Cup goals. The highest scorer ever is Ali Daei of Iran (14 goals). 헤라카지노도메인
Taking advantage of Lebanon’s poor handling of the ball by Qatar’s defenders in extra time in the second half, Qatar scored a goal in front of the penalty area and scored a wedge goal with a left-footed shot to end its landslide victory. Afif, who had a taste of the goal at 45 minutes in the first half, became the hero of the multi-goal game for the first time at this year’s event.