Doha Streets Erupt with Celebrations after Asian Title Win

Doha, February 02 (QNA) - Qatari street exploded Friday with joy after the Qatari national team won the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in their history. As soon as the final was over, Doha returned to the scenes of huge celebrations it witnessed throughout the continental tournament. Tonight's celebrations however far exceeded all previous ones. The Qatari flags were waved all around the country with every goal the team scored, and car horns echoed from every car in celebration of the title win after the final whistle. The celebrations were not confined to the Doha Corniche, the Souq Waqif tourist area, the Aspire Park and the cultural district of Katara, but extended to all parts of the country from Al Wakra and Mesaieed in the southeast to Al Khor in the north-east as well as Al Shamal, Rayyan, and Umm Salal. Cars marched the streets of Qatar celebrating the great Asian achievement and the victory over the Japanese team, people filled the streets raising the Qatari flags as they danced and celebrated the historic achievement, which came in light of the state's suffering with an unjust blockade. the peak of traffic was in the Corniche area, where the flags of Qatar rose, with the fans launching fireworks to cheer the Asian title, and others gave out candy, many restaurants and shops also distributed free food to celebrate this victory. The Qatari television networks broadcast live the celebrations in the streets of Qatar, with a notable and strong participation from women who celebrated by throwing roses and sweets to the massive amount of people who gathered in public fields, waving the Qatari flag. Children also participated in the celebrations, waving Qatari flags to pedestrians. Football fans did not see the national team as a strong candidate for the Asian title in its 17th edition, despite that the team broke all records and shattered expectations by defeating the Japanese side, preventing them from winning their fifth title. Their previous wins were in 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011. Experts agreed that the Qatari team deserved the Asian Cup title after an impressive performance in the final. The team was the more threatening throughout the encounter, thanks to the plan laid out by Spanish coach Felix Sanchez and the fighting spirit of the players, who led 2-0 in the first half. The Japanese side responded strongly in the second half, but Akram Afif scored the third for Qatar to put the match and the title beyond doubt. All the players of the Qatari team are champions in this 28-day-old football epic. They topped their group after beating Lebanon 2-0, North Korea 6-0, and Saudi Arabia 2-0. They overcame Iraq in the last 16 Iraq 1-0, and South Korea in the quarter-finals with the same result. They then beat hosts the UAE in the semi-finals 4-0. Qatar's players have been extraordinarily strong during all games, led by striker Moez Ali, who has been awarded the best player of the tournament, and top goalscorer with 9 goals to set a new record in the continental championship as the player to score most goals in one tournament, ahead of Iran's Ali Daei. Saad Al Sheeb won best goalkeeper after keeping a clean sheet in six consecutive games, before receiving a solitary goal in the final. The Qatari team made history in the AFC Asian Cup after becoming the ninth team to win the title, and the fourth Arab team to win after Kuwait in 1980, Saudi Arabia in 1984, 1988, 1996, 2007, and Iraq in 2007. This is the first time that Qatar have reached the final of the Championship, with the best achievement before that being the quarter-finals in 2000 in Lebanon before losing to China (1-3) and in 2011 in Qatar before losing from Japan (2-3). This was the fifth time meanwhile that the Japanese team plays the final. (QNA)