2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ – News – Historic success whets Qatar’s appetite
- Qatar rewrote the record books in winning the AFC Asian Cup
- They won more matches at UAE 2019 than in nine previous editions combined
- Strong platform for Qataris ahead of FIFA World Cup debut in 2022
Four years ago, Qatar failed to secure a single point at the AFC Asian Cup, let alone muster a win. But fast forward to the present day and the portents are suddenly hugely promising for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ hosts after their remarkable charge to continental glory.
Qatar had never won an Asian Cup knockout stage match before the tournament. Yet they won all seven of their matches in UAE 2019, having previously registered just six wins in their 39-year Asian Cup history. Add in their modest showing four years ago and a title win seemed unthinkable just a month ago.
Preconceptions, however, started to change once Qatar took the field. Al Annabi hit Korea DPR for six, and eventually won Group E with a victory over Saudi Arabia.
Then came tough knockout stage wins over 2007 winners Iraq and a star-laden Korea Republic. Their ensuing 4-0 semi-final win over United Arab Emirates was one of the most dominant showings by any team in the tournament. A sparkling 3-1 win over Japan in the decider – their third win over a Russia 2018 participant – capped a thrilling, goal-laden campaign.
Building for success
Felix Sanchez’s team proved to be a revelation. Extremely well organised and pragmatic when they needed to be, Qatar also regularly showed their quality in possession.
Ball-playing midfielders and some genuine x-factor in attack consistently bore fruit. In the space of a month, new names entered Asian football fan’s lexicon, headlined by record-breaking goalscorer Almoez Ali and assist-king Akram Afif.
But this was far from an overnight success. Many of the youthful Al Annabi side are graduates of the famed Aspire Academy, having won the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship and a bronze medal at last year’s AFC U-23 Championship.
Without the benefit offered by a gruelling World Cup qualifying campaign, UAE 2019 was always going to be hugely important for the tiny Gulf nation as they prepare to welcome the world in three years’ time. Qatar will, however, feature in this year’s Copa America as invitees, along with Japan.
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Maya Yoshida of Japan looks dejected as he shakes hands with players of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Maya Yoshida of Japan looks dejected as he shakes hands with players of Qatar following his sides defeat in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Hiroki Sakai of Japan battles for possession with Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Hiroki Sakai of Japan battles for possession with Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Former South Korean international Park Jisung presents the trophy
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Former South Korean international Park Ji-sung presents the trophy before the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Japanese fans cheer prior to kick-off
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Japanese fans cheer prior to the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Head coach Hajime Moriyasu of Japan looks on
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Hajime Moriyasu of Japan looks on prior to the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Ritsu Doan of Japn in action
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Ritsu Doan of Japn in action during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Almoez Ali of Qatar scores the opening goal
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Almoez Ali of Qatar scores the opening goal during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Almoez Ali (2nd L) of Qatar celebrates scoring the opening goal with his team mates
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Almoez Ali (2nd L) of Qatar celebrates scoring the opening goal with his team mates during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Almoez Ali of Qatar celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Almoez Ali of Qatar celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar dribbles
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar battles for possession with Takehiro Tomiyasu of Japan and Gaku Shibasaki of Japan during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar reacts
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar reacts during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Abdelaziz Hatim of Qatar scores his team’s second goal
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Abdelaziz Hatim of Qatar scores his team’s second goal past Maya Yoshida of Japan during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Abdelaziz Hatim (C) of Qatar scores his side’s second goal past Shuichi Gonda of Japan
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Abdelaziz Hatim (C) of Qatar scores his side’s second goal past Shuichi Gonda of Japan during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Abdelaziz Hatim (C) of Qatar celebrates scoring his side’s second goal with his teammates
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Abdelaziz Hatim (C) of Qatar celebrates scoring his side’s second goal with his team mates during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Hasan Al Haydos (top) joins celebrations as Abdelaziz Hatim scores their second goal
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Hasan Al Haydos (top) joins celebration as Abdelaziz Hatim scores their second goal during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Japanese players huddle prior to the second half
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Japanese players huddle prior to the second half of the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Boualem Khoukhi of Qatar and Hiroki Sakai of Japan compete for the ball
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Boualem Khoukhi of Qatar and Hiroki Sakai of Japan compete for the ball during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Takumi Minamino of Japan battles for possession with Salem Al Hajri of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Takumi Minamino of Japan battles for possession with Salem Al Hajri of Qatar during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Takumi Minamino of Japan scores his team’s first goal past Saad Al Sheeb of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Takumi Minamino of Japan scores his team’s first goal past Saad Al Sheeb of Qatar during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Takumi Minamino of Japan celebrates scoring his side’s first goal
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Takumi Minamino of Japan celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar prepares for the penalty
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar prepares for the penalty during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar celebrates scoring their third goal from the penalty spot
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Akram Hassan Afif of Qatar celebrates scoring their third goal from the penalty spot during the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
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Felix Sanchez, Manager of Qatar celebrates with his backroom staff and players of Qatar at the final whistle
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Felix Sanchez, Manager of Qatar celebrates with his backroom staff and players of Qatar at the final whistle following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Players of Qatar celebrate following their side’s victory
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Players of Qatar celebrate following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino hands over the AFC Asian Cup trophy to Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: FIFA President Gianni Infantino hands over the AFC Asian Cup trophy to Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Players of Qatar celebrate with the AFC Asian Cup trophy
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Players of Qatar celebrate with the AFC Asian Cup trophy following their victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Abdulkarim Al-Ali, Abdelaziz Hatim, Saad Al Sheeb, Hasan Al Haydos and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar celebrates with the AFC Asian Cup trophy
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Abdulkarim Al-Ali, Abdelaziz Hatim, Saad Al Sheeb, Hasan Al Haydos and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar celebrates with the AFC Asian Cup Trophy following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Khaled Mohammed, Abdelkarim Hassan and Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar celebrate with the AFC Asian trophy
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Khaled Mohammed, Abdelkarim Hassan and Hasan Al Haydos of Qatar celebrate with the AFC Asian Trophy following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Tameem Mohammed and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar celebrate
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Tameem Mohammed and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar celebrate following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Tarek Salman, Tameem Mohammed and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar pose for a photo
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Tarek Salman, Tameem Mohammed and Abdelkarim Hassan of Qatar pose for a photo following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Felix Sanchez, manager of Qatar celebrates with Abdelaziz Hatim, Hasan Al Haydos and Saad Al Sheeb of Qatar
01 Feb 2019
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – FEBRUARY 01: Felix Sanchez, Manager of Qatar celebrate with Abdelaziz Hatim, Hasan Al Haydos and Saad Al Sheeb of Qatar following their sides victory in the AFC Asian Cup final match between Japan and Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 01, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
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Qatar’s success in numbers
- Almoez Ali’s nine goals from seven matches is the most in a single tournament
- Qatar had not won an Asian Cup match on foreign soil for 35 years
- First Asian Cup winner that has yet to compete in a World Cup since Japan’s maiden win in 1992
- Saad Al Sheeb went 609 minutes without conceding to be named goalkeeper of the tournament
- First team to not concede a goal in their opening six Asian Cup games
- Akram Afif provided an all-time record ten goals, created 26 goalscoring opportunities
What they said
“We made history for our country so we need to be proud of our achievement. It’s more proof that with hard work and commitment and working as a team you can reach very good results. This is one step more to continue developing the team to be ready for the Copa America and in 2022 to represent Qatar.”
Coach Felix Sanchez
“I think everyone [in Qatar] had confidence in us from the start. We didn’t disappoint them and we are returning to Doha with the Cup.”
Captain Hasan Al Haydos
“We are working on the target of the 2022 World Cup and we have started well with the Asian Cup. The Copa America is different and we will learn a lot from that. As a team from the Gulf, that will help us to have a better performance in 2022.”
Striker Almoez Ali