ATLANTA (Pajhwok): Qatar have retained the Asian Football Cup (AFC) title for the second consecutive time by beating Jordan by 3-1.
The final, marking the 18th edition of the tournament, was played at the Lusail Stadium on Saturday.
Akram Afif was the standout performer for Qatar, netting two crucial goals in the 22nd and 73rd minutes and again in the second half’s extra time — the fifth minute.
Afif awarded the best scorer of the tournament with eight goals.
Qatar became the first back-to-back winner since Japan in 2000 and 2004. It is the fifth nation to successfully defend the title, though Iran won it three times in a row from 1968 to 1976.
Qatar had trounced Japan by 3-1 and clinched the AFC title for the first time in 2019.
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