The Qatar side beat their Lebanese counterparts 3-0 in their match on Friday, in the opening of the new edition of the Asian Cup hosted by Doha until 10 February.
Akram Afif’s goals were achieved in the 45 and 96th minutes and Mu ‘izz Ali (56).
Qatar won the first 3 points at the top of Group A, starting the journey to defend the Asian title in the UAE in 2019, while the Lebanese team’s balance remained below points.
The start of the game came fast on the part of Qatar, where it dominated the course of matters in the first five minutes,
المنتخب القطري يستهل الدفاع عن لقبه بثلاثية في شباك لبنان⚽️✅
🎤 شاهد الأهداف بصوت محمد حسين#قطر_لبنان#AsianCup2023 | #SSC pic.twitter.com/Oszy1fqVgt
— SSC (@ssc_sports) January 12, 2024
and from the first attempt Al-Mu ‘iz Ali managed to score a goal after he singled out Lebanon’s keeper Mustafa Matar and deposited the ball into his net, but the goal was not counted for offside.
After the goal, the Lebanese team began to enter the atmosphere of the match and to swap attacks and pressure,
while Annabi relied on longitudinal attacks, one of which almost saw Yusuf Abd al-Razak score a target.
The state of dew among the elected remained until the final minutes of the first half,
which saw the hosts score the first goal through Akram Afif, in 45, after receiving Mu ‘izz Ali’s pass from inside the box
Amid the Lebanese attack, Qatar’s players exchanged ball in the centre of the pitch until it reached Akram Afif,
who in turn passed it to Mohamed Wa ‘id on the left flank, who played an elaborate cross, which Mu’ iz Ali met with his head and deposited the Lebanese goal, scoring the second goal in the 56th minute.
The game calmed down after Qatar’s second goal, and the ball was often confined to the centre of the field, after Annabi was assured of victory.
The final minutes saw Lebanese attempts to reduce the gap to no avail, while Akram Afif invested the rival’s pressure and scored the third goal in the 90 + 6 minute.
Annabi will meet in the second round next Wednesday with Tajikistan, while Lebanon will play China on the same day.
