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AFC Asian Cup: Qatar's Almoez Ali turns his attention to final

The 22-year-old wasn't loosing his sleep over the records and was looking athe larger picture instead.

Almoez Ali

Bengaluru, Janaury 30: After equalling Iranian striker Ali Daei's long-standing record for most goals in an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, Qatar's Almoez Ali immediately turned his attention to Friday's (February 1) final against Japan.

Almoez, who starred in Qatar's 4-0 win against the hosts UAE in the semifinal equalled Daei's tournament record of eight goals set in the 1996 edition, also held in the UAE, when he scored superbly from the edge of the penalty box in the 37th minute against the hosts.

The goal came at a crucial moment in the semifinal, 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, Almoez 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.

But the 22-year-old wasn't loosing his sleep over the records and was looking athe larger picture instead.

"I wasn't thinking about equaling Ali Daei's record," Almoez told AFC Media Channel.

"No, 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 team-mates.

"This is what I was thinking about, to score for the fans and I did it. Now we have to focus on the next match and study Japan very well."

Almoez's strike was his eighth in six matches in the UAE, and follows the six-goal haul which saw him claim the top scorer award at the 2018 AFC Under-23 Championship.

The Al Duhail striker does not want to sit on the past glory and is focussed on the big game on Friday.

"Of course, I was really happy with the goal," he said. "It was a beautiful strike, but it means nothing, because our objectives are bigger than just scoring a beautiful goal.

"I have to keep my head down and work so I can reach my objectives."

"We don't look at the statistics: You could win 1-0 today and lose 3-0 tomorrow. Everything we did so far is one thing, but what's coming up is more important.

"The final needs patience, so if we are patient, play well and forget about everything we did so far, only then will we win the final.

(Source: AFC)

Story first published: Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 16:56 [IST]
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