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LUSAIL, Doha — After scoring a hat-trick in Qatar’s 3-2 win over Jordan in the Asian Cup final, Akram Afif is open to playing in Europe again, but the decision is not one he will make alone. He said no. All eyes will be on the team for the time being as they celebrate winning the title for the second year in a row.
On Saturday, Afif scored a hat-trick in the penalty shootout as Qatar defeated Jordan at Lusail Stadium, winning two of the matches themselves and becoming the fifth country in Asia to defend their continental title.
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The 27-year-old was a dominant force for the Maroons, scoring eight goals to secure the Golden Boot, finishing joint-leading with three assists and capping off a tournament in which he was duly named Player of the Tournament.
Although he previously played for clubs in Spain and Belgium, Afif has been with Qatar Stars League powerhouse Al Saad since 2018, where he has established himself as one of Asia’s best attackers with his outstanding performances in matches. As such, it is often the subject of speculation. domestic and international level.
“Every player wants to move to Europe, but this decision must be made after careful consideration,” he said after the final, through an interpreter.
“It’s not for me to decide. My wife has to make the decision with me and it’s not easy to leave the club or the country.
“It’s fate. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.
“It’s a difficult answer, but I would definitely like to go.
“But what I do know is that we won back-to-back games.” [Asian Cups], we are happy and will enjoy until the next Asian Cup. ”
By hosting the tournament, which was postponed after the original host China withdrew, Qatar lost all three of its group stage matches, putting an end to the demons of a disastrous 2022 World Cup in which they were eliminated the fastest in history. I was able to drive it away.
Despite poor form in 2023, with coach Carlos Queiroz stepping down just a month before the tournament, and Al Wakrah coach Tintin Marquez parachuting in on Christmas Eve to take his place, they managed to I achieved this result.
“We may not have played beautiful football today, but we all remember the winner. I’m very happy for Akram. He deserved all the awards,” Marquez said through an interpreter. ” he said.
“What will happen is that I will return to Al Wakrah and we will discuss the future.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future, but for now I’m going to enjoy it and celebrate.
“Working with the national team is different. Working with the club is a daily thing. I only took over recently, before the tournament started.
“What was important was that I knew the players well and they implemented my ideals very quickly.
“There were games that fell short of expectations, but there were games that exceeded them. In the end, it was the players’ plans and execution of their ideas that made the difference.”
For Jordan, the loss marked a painful end to a fairy-tale tournament. Chiba Ras Ones had never made it past the knockout stage, defeating Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals.
“We earned respect,” coach Hussein Ammuta said through an interpreter. “The team has grown very well and opened new horizons for the future.”
“The PK was given at a time when we couldn’t make a comeback. Mistakes happen in soccer, especially on defense.
“Congratulations to the players who played a very good tournament.”
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