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#2 Qatar scored two stunning goals in the first half
Qatar virtually killed the match in the first half itself with two stunning strikes. Almoez Ali scored with a brilliant overhead kick in the 12th minute after having received a pass from Akram Afif. This was Ali’s 9th goal of the tournament and 13th overall in 25 matches for Qatar. Afif made a lateral movement to break away from his markers and then played the crucial pass to Ali, who finished brilliantly.
Qatar scored again through Abdul Aziz Hatem in the 27th minute, as the midfielder received the ball just outside the penalty box, and beat the Japanese goalkeeper with a 25-yard scorcher. He had scored a similar goal in the quarter-final against South Korea, and has been one of the most impressive players of the tournament. Those two outstanding goals destroyed the morale of the Japanese in the first half itself, and paved the way for a resounding win for Qatar.
