Qatar beat Japan to claim Asian Cup

Qatar swept past Japan 3-1 on Friday to win the Asian Cup for the first time. Almoez Ali – whose eligibility for Qatar had been questioned – opened the scoring with a spectacular bicycle kick after 12 minutes. It was a tournament record ninth goal for the 22-year-old striker.

Qatar's Almoez Ali was voted the most valuable player of the Asian Cup after scoring a record nine goals. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Abdelaziz Hatim doubled the advantage 15 minutes later when he curled in from the edge of the penalty area.

Though Japan halved the deficit midway through the second half, the 2022 World Cup hosts sealed the victory seven minutes from time after Akram Afif converted a penalty.

A few hours before the showdown at the Zayed Sport City Stadium, Asian football's ruling body, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), dismissed a protest lodged by the United Arab Emirates that claimed Ali and Bassam Al-Rawi should not be playing for Qatar as they were born in Sudan and Iraq.

According to the AFC's rules, teams who field an ineligible player can be made to forfeit the match in question and pay a fine. The UAE raised its objections after losing to Qatar 4-0 in the semi-final.

Ali had played in all six games of Qatar's run to their first Asian Cup final and with his strike in the final, he eclipsed Ali Daei's eight goals for Iran during the 1996 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.