UAEto the AFC that Qatar was fielding
ineligible players. It was alleged that
although star striker Almoez Ali and
impressive defender Bassam Al Rawi
had spent years living in the country,
their close family members, as was
claimed, had not actually been born
in Qatar.
Under FIFA rules this could be a
problem, although both had played
at the Under-20 World Cup and in
past international tournaments. The
AFC dismissed the complaints just hours
before kick-off, although the matter is
likely to be taken further by the UAE FA.
Not that Qatar looked concerned
against Japan. Goals from Ali and
midfielder Abdulaziz Hatem put them
ahead against the four-time champions,
who were struggling badly. Japan pulled
a goal back in the second half but Qatar
restored their two-goal cushion with a
late and disputed penalty – with the
standard of refereeing another talking
point of the tournament.
While the 2019 Asian Cup was far
from a classic, Qatar deserved to win
and they can look forward to the future
with renewed confidence.
And as guests in Brazil at the Copa
America this summer, their group rivals
Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay ought
to be a little warier.aside 4-0 by Qatar.
Watched by over 38,000, it was the
biggest attendance of the tournament
- but there were too many games with
too many empty seats in a country where
fans often prefer to watch matches in a
cafe than a stadium. Qatar’s group stage
clash with North Korea had an official
attendance of 452.
That was just one effect of the
blockade of Qatar by UAE, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain that came
into effect in 2017. With Qatar accused of
supporting terrorism, among other things,
the lack of diplomatic relations made it
hard for Qatari fans to make the journey.
Against North Korea there seemed to be
just one: a South Korean woman with an
affection for the country.
Ahead of the semi-finals, the Abu
Dhabi Sports Council bought most of
the tickets and then handed them out to
local fans for free. This was ostensibly to
fill the stadium, but many felt it was also
a way to stop any Qatari fans, or those
sympathetic to Qatar, getting in.
Qatar, though, were too good for the
hosts – and their players were on the
receiving end of shoes and water bottles
thrown by some home fans as the visitors
celebrated their goals.
It is always hard to lose a semi-final,
but doing so in your own capital against
a fierce new rival was especially painful.
Just a day before the Final, United
Arab Emirates made an official complaint
Displeasure...UAE
fans throw shoes
and water bottlesFast improving...Vietnam (in red) take on JapanImpressive
...Almoez AliAli: Qatar’s
controversial
new star
The Asian Cup proved tournaments
are still a great place to catapult
names onto the global stage, and
there were a number of impressive
performers in the Qatari ranks.
Akram Afif managed 10 assists
before clinching the trophy with
a late penalty in the Final, and the
emergence of Tarek Salman and
Bassam Al Rawi suggests the future
is bright. Yet it is Almoez Ali who
was the standout. By the end of the
tournament he had a golden boot, an
MVP award, a signed Barcelona shirt
from Lionel Messi and interest from a
number of big European clubs.
Born in Sudan but a resident of
Doha since he was seven, Ali scored
his first goal of the tournament in the
opening win over Lebanon and then
never really stopped. His ninth, a newrecord for the finals, came in the Final
against Japan.
Receiving the ball in the area with
his back to goal, and closely watched
by defender Maya Yoshida, he flicked
the ball up into the air twice and then
scored with a scissors kick. He also hit
North Korea for four, got both goals
in a politically charged 2-0 win over
Saudi Arabia and then netted against
UAE in the semi-finals.
Two-footed and quick, he helped
Qatar win the Asian under-19 title
in 2014 and a year later he was
off to the Under-20 World Cup. The
sequence continued as he ended the
2016 AFC Under-23 Championship
as top scorer with six goals.
By that time he was already in
Europe. Starting out in the youth ranks
at Belgium’s Eupen, he had a short
spell with Linz in Austria and then
Spain’s lower leagues before returning
to Qatar to play for Al Duhail, the
country’s leading club, in 2016.
“I expected to score goals,” he says
of the 2019 Asian Cup. “But I didn’t
expect to score nine. I was expecting
three or four. Thankfully the team
helped me score many times.”