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IKOLI VICTOR
Doha
Al Duhail superstar Almoez Ali scored a stunning goal in Qatar’s 4-0 semi-final
victory against the United Arab Emirates at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday and equalled a 22-year-old Asian Cup record jointly held by Iranian legend Ali Daei along the way.
Much has been talked and written about the 22-year-old who has been suffering a mini dip in form, not scoring in two knockout stage matches.
After scoring seven goals, having seven shots on target and 10 shots in total in the Asian Cup group stages, Almoez had recorded just three shots with one on target in the Round of 16 and quarter-final ties. However, Almoez once again silenced his critics and proved he can rise to the big occasion by scoring a peach of a goal.
Almoez’s 37th-minute strike was his eighth in six matches in the UAE and meant that the Aspire Academy product became only the second man to score eight goals in a single AFC Asian Cup.
Coincidentally, Daei’s record was also set in the 1996 Asian Cup in the UAE. The Iranian is the tournament’s all-leading scorer with 14 goals, followed by Lee Dong-Gook of South Korea with 13 goals. The goal also the Qatari’s right-footed shot from the edge of the box gave goalkeeper Khalid Eisa no chance, collecting a pass 35-yard from the opponents’ box before racing to the vital area to curl the ball into the far right of the Emirati’s post.
“I would like to congratulate the Qatari people back home who supported us since the start of the tournament. Also, thanks to my teammates who gave their all. They proved their worth on the pitch. We achieved a dream of all Qataris and hopefully, we’ll do better in the future,” Almoez said.
“I wasn’t really thinking of equaling Ali Daei’s record. I just left it to fate and thankfully I managed to score a goal and bring joy to my parents, the Qatari people and my teammates,” the 22-year-old added.
It was also a crucial moment in the semi-final, giving Felix Sanchez’s side a 2-0 lead on the verge of half-time, a lead they never looked likely to relinquish on the way to their first ever AFC Asian Cup final.
While the record is shared between stars of two generations, for now, Ali will have the chance to claim the honour for himself should he find the net once more in Friday’s decider, to be played against Japan at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium.
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30/01/2019
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