Doha: The Jordanian national football team finished runners-up in the Asian Cup after losing to the Qatari team with a score of 1-3 in the final match that took place Saturday evening at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
Massive crowds of more than 80,000 spectators attended the match, which was also attended by HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II.
The Crown Prince participated in the coronation of the winners and the second-place winners alongside His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Emir of Qatar, and presidents of the International and Asian Football Associations, where the Qatari team was crowned with the championship cup and gold medals, while the national team players received the silver medals.
Qatar player Akram Afif scored the first goal for his team in the first half before Yaseen Naimat equalized for the national team in the second half. Afif then scored the second and third goals from two penalties, giving Qatar the victory.
The Qatari team won $5 million as the Asian Cup champions, while the na
tional team won $3 million as the second-place prize.
The national team’s reaching the final match and finishing second is an unprecedented milestone for Jordanian football, as the team’s stars impressed the tournament’s followers from all over the continent, achieving remarkable results and good performances.
The national team started the tournament by defeating Malaysia 4-0, then drawing with South Korea 2-2, before losing to Bahrain 0-1 to finish third in Group Five and qualify for the second round, where they defeated Iraq 3-2 and then Tajikistan 1-0 in the Round of 16 and defeated South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals to qualify for the final match and lose to Qatar.
The Qatari team dominated the best-of-the-tournament awards, with player Akram Afif winning the awards for top scorer and best player, Qatar goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham winning the best goalkeeper award, and Qatar player Hassan Al-Haydos winning the fair play award
Source: Jordan News Agency