Qatar have become only the second side this century to claim consecutive Asian Cup titles courtesy of a 3-1 victory over underdogs Jordan at the Lusail Stadium this afternoon.
The hosts and holders lived up to their pre-match billing as favourites, while star man Akram Afif also lived up to his billing as player of the tournament with a hat-trick, all of the goals coming from the penalty spot.
Afif's heroics not only earned Qatar the trophy, but also saw him clinch the Golden Boot with eight goals along with three assists in just seven matches across the tournament.
The Al-Sadd striker was a handful for the Jordan backline throughout the match, drawing a penalty which he converted in the 22nd minute.
He would go on to score two more times in the second half from the spot, enabling the Maroons to become the first nation since Japan in 2004 to lift this trophy on consecutive occasions.
For Jordan, the final proved to be one step too far as they fell just short of pulling off one of the great shocks in international football history, having upset all the odds to even reach the final.
Hussein Ammouta's side are the lowest-ranked team to ever make it to the showpiece event and raised hope of becoming the most unlikely Asian Cup champions ever when they briefly levelled things up midway through the second half.
Indeed, Afif's second goal came against the run of play with the Jordanians growing in confidence following Qatar-based Yazan Al-Naimat's close-range equaliser.
It was a deserved leveller too as Jordan had the home side on edge in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, creating numerous opportunities.
Meshaal Barsham kept Qatar in front with a pair of fine stops early into the final 45 minutes but could do nothing about the Al-Naimat effort.
It did not take long for Tintin Marquez's side to respond however, as a VAR check just beyond the 70th minute determined that Mahmoud Al-Mardi brought down Ismaeel Mohammad in the box.
The third penalty was also checked by VAR, with Afif originally flagged for offside shortly before being brought down in the box by Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
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Upon review, though, the referee determined that Afif was onside, with the penalty then being awarded and the 27-year-old coolly slotting home his third to seal the game.
There was a question whether Afif could continue after his knee seemed to buckle in first-half injury time, and he had to be stretchered off.
Thankfully for the hosts, however, he recovered, scoring his first career international hat-trick and netting for a second successive occasion in the Asian Cup final, with all four of his goals at this stage of the competition coming from the penalty spot.
It was a lively beginning to this match for both sides in the opening 20 minutes with Jordan and Qatar trading half chances, and each looking dangerous down the flanks.
Jordan however lacked fluidity throughout the opening half, though they created a few half-chances before the interval which seemed to give them some momentum.
In the end, though, some careless challenges from Ammouta's men in the box scuppered their dream as they failed to find another breakthrough despite some enterprising periods of play.
Saturday was the first all-Arab final at the Asian Cup since Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in 2007 to claim their first and only victory at this tournament to date.
It was also the first appearance in the final of a major tournament for Jordan, who defeated South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals after narrow triumphs over Tajikistan (1-0) and Iraq (3-2) in their previous knockout fixtures.
Since losing all three of their Asian Cup matches in 2015, Qatar have triumphed in 14 consecutive games at this tournament, beating Iran (3-2) Uzbekistan (3-2 on penalties) and Palestine (2-1) in their earlier knockout affairs.
In four years time Qatar will have the opportunity to become only the second side to lift this trophy on three successive occasions, with Iran doing so in 1968, 1972 and 1976.
As devastating as this defeat is for Jordan they will have to shift their focus quickly to 2026 World Cup qualifying as they seek their first victory in the second round when they face Pakistan on March 21.
Qatar meanwhile can maintain their 100% record in qualifying as they host Kuwait on that same day at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Joel Lefevre
Qatar
Tajikistan
China
Lebanon
Australia
Uzbekistan
Syria
India
Iran
UAE
Palestine
Hong Kong
Iraq
Japan
Indonesia
Vietnam
Bahrain
South Korea
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Oman
Kyrgyzstan
