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Head coach Bartolomé Márquez López lauded his Qatar players for their composure and focus in their 3-1 victory over Jordan in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 final on Saturday.
The hosts produced a dominant display from start to finish with Akram Afif netting a hattrick of penalties to seal the victory at a packed Lusail Stadium, a victory which meant back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles for Qatar.
“I’m extremely happy and I congratulate the Qatari people and the players. We are so happy that we won the match. The tension was high.
“Maybe it was not beautiful football but everyone remembers the winner and I’m proud of my players and their achievements,” said Lopez.
Afif’s hattrick took his tally to eight, with his performances landing him the Most Valuable Player and AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Yili Top Scorer Awards, and Lopez was effusive in his praise of the striker.
“I’m happy Akram (Afif) won both the awards and he deserves to win them.”
Qatar became only the fifth nation to win back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles with Lopez having masterminded the triumph despite having only taken charge in December.
“I have been working in Qatar and I know the players well. It was easy to work with them and they effectively implemented our ideas on the field.
“For now, I’m going to go back to work with Al Wakrah (in the Qatar Stars League). I’m not sure what will happen but we will enjoy the moment for now.”
Congratulations to #Qatar for defending their #AsianCup2023 title with a 3-1 victory against a courageous #Jordan!!!
Qatar needed three penalties to win the game, while Jordan had their moments especially at the start of the 2nd half.#AsianFootball
— Arunava Chaudhuri | arunfoot (@Arunfoot) February 10, 2024
