Doha, Qatar: Akram Afif’s individual performance was the difference according to head coach Marquez Lopez as Qatar came from behind to defeat Palestine 2-1 in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16 at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday.
After Palestine took the lead through Oday Dabbagh half an hour into the first half, it was Afif who set-up Hassan Al Haydos for the equaliser with a well-rehearsed move from a corner, before adding his fourth goal of the campaign from the penalty spot just after the restart to secure the win for the hosts.
Contributing to two goals on the night, Afif took his overall AFC Asian Cup goal contributions tally to 17, having assisted a record 10 goals and scored one in the UAE 2019 edition. He now sits second on the scoring chart for the ongoing tournament with four goals to his name in addition to two assists.
“The most important thing is that we qualified to the next round,” said Lopez.
“We know we didn’t play well but that is football. In football, you don’t always do exactly what you plan for. We did not underestimate Palestine, we respect them a lot and the players fought really hard and did their best, sometimes you don’t play so well but you win.
“The players worked hard, but we made some mistakes in both defence and attack.
“At times we made long passes when we didn’t need to, but it was an emotional match against Palestine, so that might have impacted the players.
“Akram is a quality player, a unique player who always creates the difference. That type of player always helps the team win in moments like this, and I hope he will always be available to help us.”
The result marked the end of a historic run for Palestine, who recorded a number of firsts in this tournament, including their first point, first win and most importantly first qualification to the knockout stage, at the third time of asking.
Having previously only scored one goal in six AFC Asian Cup matches across the 2015 and 2019 campaigns, Palestine played some exciting attacking football in Qatar 2023 under head coach Makram Daboub, finding the back of the net six times, half of which came through star striker Oday Dabbagh.
“Congratulations to Qatar for qualifying. Thanks to the fans who supported us, all the players, staff and administrators,” said Daboub.
“It was a great match against the reigning champions and hosts. The players did their best.
“We tried to be balanced at the start to counter the threat of Qatar. We scored one and missed two chances. We lost concentration on two occasions at the end of the first half and the start of the second half and that cost us two goals. Qatar were more experienced and managed the game well in the second half to get the result they needed.
“Before the game, I told the players that we have already achieved our target but can achieve more by reaching the quarter-finals. I’m really proud of them. We have been in camp for over 55 days, they struggled a lot and played in difficult circumstances. We wanted to do more and bring joy to our people, but it wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully we can play at the same level in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.”- AFC
