5 Best Players in the Asian Cup

Agencies – Sudan Events

The quarter-final matches of the Asian Cup in Qatar will begin on Sunday when Australia will meet Indonesia and Tajikistan will meet the UAE. Agence France-Presse selected five players who excelled in the group stage:

Ayman Hussein (Iraq)

Iraq have been one of the standout teams so far, thanks in large part to Ayman Hussein. Five goals in three matches has seen the 27-year-old top the scoring charts. He scored two goals during Iraq’s 2-1 victory over Japan, the strong candidate for the coronation, before the Mesopotamian Lions finished the group stage with three victories.

The Air Force striker has a massive physique (1.88 metres). With his team trailing 1-0 against Vietnam at the end of the first half, he came on as a substitute in the second half, scoring the equalizing goal and missing a penalty kick, then showing the courage to take a second penalty kick in the 12th minute of stoppage time to give his team an exciting 3-2 victory.

Musaab Al-Battat (Palestine)

The Palestinian national team captain has proven to be an inspiration on and off the field. The right-back tops the tournament statistics thanks to two assists and eight chances created.

Al-Battat (30 years old) led his country to victory over Hong Kong 3-0 to achieve its first victory ever in the tournament, as he sent two perfect crosses that ended with two headed goals. He was also a leader off the field, and the unofficial spokesman for the team that qualified for the next round for the first time in its history despite the war in Gaza. After achieving this historic achievement, he confirmed that the players fulfilled “the promise we made to the Palestinian people.”

Akram Afif (Qatar)

Striker Afif was one of the stars of Qatar’s victory in the 2019 Asian Cup, and it seems that he is following the same path in the edition hosted by his country. Afif (27 years old) scored two goals to lead his team to a 3-0 victory over Lebanon in the opening match, and he also scored again during the home team and title holders’ victory over Tajikistan 1-0.

Afif played professionally in Belgium and Spain earlier in his career and said he would leave Qatar’s Al-Sadd to return to Europe “tomorrow” if he had the opportunity.

Mehdi Qaidi (Iran)

My leader could not have fulfilled the hopes placed on him in a previous period, but he returned to the right track after playing a major role for Iran in the group stage.

The brilliance of this 25-year-old winger, who is characterized by dribbling, helped his country lead its group with three victories by scoring two wonderful goals in the Asian Cup. Through its strong performances in the group stage, Iran appears to be a strong candidate to win the title in Qatar, and Qaedi’s brilliance may help it win the crown for the first time since 1976.

Lee Kang-in (South Korea)

Korea’s German coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, made Lee a central player in his squad, and he was the Paris Saint-Germain player who his coach thought well of him. Lee (22 years old) stole the spotlight from his captain, Heung-Min Son, by scoring two goals in the opening match in which South Korea beat Bahrain 3-1, and forced an own goal for his team against Malaysia from a direct free kick. South Korea was not convinced in general in Qatar and will face a difficult match in the quarter-final against Saudi Arabia.

But with Lee’s brilliance and ability to threaten from long range, perhaps the Taeguk Warriors can end a title drought that has lasted since 1960.