English Woman's Journal - Qatar's Afif named Asian Cup player of tournament

Weather - London 9°C

Qatar's Afif named Asian Cup player of tournament

SPORTS 10.02.2024

Qatar's Afif named Asian Cup player of tournament / Photo: Giuseppe CACACE - AFP

Qatar's Akram Afif was named Asian Cup player of the tournament after scoring a hat-trick of penalties in their 3-1 win over Jordan in Saturday's final.

Change text size:

The livewire forward finished as the tournament's top scorer on eight goals as hosts Qatar won their second consecutive Asian title in Doha.

Afif held his nerve to convert from the spot three times against Jordan in front of over 85,000 fans at Lusail Stadium, which staged the World Cup final 14 months ago.

The 27-year-old celebrated his goals by producing a playing card with his picture on it before the image flipped to an "S".

Afif plays for Qatari club Al-Sadd and had stints at clubs in Belgium and Spain earlier in his career.

He helped Qatar banish the painful memory of their 2022 World Cup flop on home soil by retaining the Asian Cup.

Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil and crashed out in the group phase, the worst record of any host in the competition's history.

But it was a different story at the Asian Cup, where Qatar retained their title despite replacing coach Carlos Queiroz with Tintin Marquez a month before the tournament began.

St.Ch.Russell--EWJ

Featured

FA Cup Second-Round Draw Confirmed for Non-League and Midlands Clubs

The FA Cup second-round draw has been finalized, setting up crucial ties for non-league teams aiming to reach the third round proper. Several clubs from the Midlands, including Burton Albion and Kidderminster Harriers, have secured their next opponents following recent victories over lower-league opposition.

Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium

The new Penrith Stadium is expected to be ready in time for the opening round of the 2027 NRL season, but it’s still likely the Panthers is expected to be on the road for their early matches. There is no delay to the build of the new $309 million venue but there’s a lack of appetite for risk around weather delays through the summer.

Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points, one of five players in double figures for No. 9 Virginia as the Cavaliers routed No.

Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Tayyab Arif smashed an aggressive half-century on debut and provided a new-look Pakistan lineup a confident start to the first cricket test against Sri Lanka on Monday. The 20-year-old Tayyab struck nine boundaries and a six in his 57-run knock as Pakistan reached 137-2 at lunch on a greenish wicket that lured Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis to bowl first after winning the toss.

Change text size: