DOHA: Qatar, 2023 Asian Cup hosts, couldn’t have asked for a better start to their title defence when they won the first match of this year’s tournament in style at Lusail Stadium here last night.
Their emphatic 3-0 victory over Lebanon in their first Group A match sent a clear warning to all title contenders that the defending champions were not taking things easy even with home ground advantage.
The man of the match was clearly Al Sadd striker Akram Afif, who netted a brace of very crucial and interesting goals, while 2019 Asian Cup Golden Boot winner Almoez Ali scored the remaining goal to gift their team a perfect start to their campaign.
Eager to please a stadium packed with Qatari fans, Ali had actually found the net in the fifth minute only to have his effort ruled offside. The Lebanese were stung into action and managed to create several chances, with their closest effort coming from captain Hassan Maatouk, whose blistering shot was saved by Qatar’s keeper Mostafa Matar in the 21st minute.
The first half looked to end goalless as halftime approached, but Afif had other plans. He managed to score off a cross from Ali in the penalty box in the 45th minute for the first goal of the tournament, making up his failure to find the net in the 31st minute when his header hit the post.
Buoyed by their first goal, Qatar came into the second half strong and dominated the field, which resulted in Ali heading in the host’s second goal in the 56th minute, off a pass from captain Hasan Al Haydos.
Qatar’s third and final goal came at the very last minute of injury time, thanks to Afif, who just seemed to not be satisfied to allow things to wrap up at 2-0.
The defending champions will play Tajikistan next on Jan 17, before their last Group A match against China on Jan 22.
Meanwhile, the continent’s most prestigious football competition officially began with fans filling the iconic 88,000-seat Lusial Stadium to watch the extravagant opening ceremony.
Graced by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, and attended by Fifa president Gianni Infantino, the one-hour ceremony commenced with a spectacular theatrical performance based on the ancient fable, The Lost Chapter of Kelileh & Demneh.
The musical not only celebrated the spirit of camaraderie between the diverse cultures of Asia, but also paid tribute to the continent’s unique animals, some of which no longer walk the earth.
The highlight of the night was arguably when Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos deviated from tradition to allow his Palestine counterpart Musab Battat the honour of taking the players’ oath.
A dazzling fireworks display lit up the night sky above the stadium, intensifying the almost-electric atmosphere and was followed by a performance by Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme.
This is the third time Qatar has hosted the Asian Cup after the 1988 and 2011 editions.
The Group A match between host and defending champions, Qatar against Lebanon immediately after the opening ceremony was the first match of this year’s tournament.
Team standings after yesterday’s opening match between Qatar and Lebanon.
Group A
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Qatar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| China | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tajikistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Group B
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Syria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| India | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Iran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UAE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hong Kong | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Palestine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iraq | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vietnam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group E
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MALAYSIA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group F
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thailand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Top two teams from each group with the best four third-place team will advance to the round of 16. – BERNAMA
