With a thrilling 82nd-minute winner in a 3-2 semi-final victory over Iran on Wednesday, Qatar narrowly advanced to play Jordan in the Asian Cup final. Almoez Ali scored in Doha to propel them into their second consecutive final.
Not too long ago, Qatar had the poorest record of any host in the competition's history—they lost all three of their World Cup matches played at home. But that was all in the past now, as they relished the moment in front of more than 40,000 spectators at Al Thumama Stadium following an exhilarating match.
Match-winner Ali had only scored one goal going into the tournament's semifinals this year, but he has a record with nine goals in the Asian Cup to help Qatar win their first championship in 2019.
Qatar's late strike proved to be worthwhile as it prevented Iran from winning its first Asian championship since 1976.