Qatar have gone back-to-back, winning their second consecutive AFC Asian Cup. The host nation defeated Jordan 3-1 on Saturday thanks to a hat trick and a bit of magic from Akram Afif, with all three goals coming from the penalty spot. That was enough to see Qatar win the tournament. Appearing in their first ever Asian Cup final, Jordan were able to fight back after going behind at halftime. Yazan Al-Naimat’s excellent first touch and strike past Qatar keeper Meshaal Barsham in the 67th minute drew the level, but Qatar resonded with their second penalty only five minutes later, before adding a third in injury time.
The pattern of the match was consistent throughout. Jordan had composure early in the match, but when Qatar upped the pressure Jordan cracked. Abdallah Nasib brought down Afif in the box in the 22nd minute and he wouldn’t miss from the spot. After scoring, Afif had a celebration to remember, doing a magic trick with cards, flipping a picture of himself into an s, that was dedicated to his wife. Afif did come prepared with…
