Road to the Final: Qatar
31st January 2019
Abu Dhabi: With Qatar set to meet Japan in Friday’s AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final, join the-AFC.com as we take a look back at the West Asian nation’s journey to their title showdown with the Samurai Blue.
Qatar 2-0 Lebanon
Group Stage - January 9: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
Second-half goals from Bassam Al Rawi and Almoez Ali saw Qatar pick up a 2-0 win over a determined and well-organised Lebanon as they recorded an opening victory in Group E.
DPR Korea 0-6 Qatar
Group Stage - January 13: Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium
Almoez Ali was the star of the show as he scored four and set up a fifth in Qatar’s 6-0 defeat of DPR Korea as Felix Sanchez’s side moved to the top of the Group E standings and into the knockout stage.
Group E Matchday: DPR Korea vs Qatar
Saudi Arabia 0-2 Qatar
Group Stage – January 17: Zayed Sports City Stadium
Almoez Ali’s rich vein of form at the competition continued with the striker scoring twice to help Qatar beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and claim top spot in Group E.
Round of 16: Qatar vs Iraq
Qatar 1-0 Iraq
Round of 16 – January 22: Al Nahyan Stadium
A glorious second-half Bassam Al Rawi free-kick proved the difference as Qatar overcame a determined Iraq 1-0 to progress through to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-final: Korea Republic vs Qatar
Korea Republic 0-1 Qatar
Quarter-finals – January 25: Zayed Sports City Stadium
Abdelaziz Hatim’s terrific long-range strike on 78 minutes helped Qatar beat Korea Republic 1-0 to claim a place in their first-ever AFC Asian Cup semi-finals.
Semi-final: Qatar vs UAE
Qatar 4-0 United Arab Emirates
Semi-finals: January 29: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
Two goals in either half saw Qatar beat host nation the United Arab Emirates 4-0 to progress with relative ease and set up Friday’s title clash with the Japanese.
Preview - Final: Japan v Qatar
Qatar’s UAE 2019 record
Played 6, Won 6 Goals Scored 16, Goals Conceded 0
Top Scorer: Almoez Ali (8): The young forward has equalled Ali Daei’s record – set in 1996 – for the most goals scored in a single edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
Source: the-afc.com