15 Oct 2015
Doha, 15 October 2015. Qatar’s Olympic team grabbed the third spot at the ‘West Asian Championship’ in Doha after a 3-0 win against Yemen at Lekhwiya Stadium on Wednesday evening. Iran was crowned champion beating Syria 1-0 in last night’s final.
The Qatari team, coached by Felix Sanchez and comprised of many Aspire Academy graduates, finished the group stage undefeated with wins against Palestine (3-0) and Jordan (2-1) and a draw against Yemen (0-0). After a 0-2 defeat against Syria in the semi-finals, the Qatari U-23s faced Yemen again in the 3rd place match, which they won thanks to goals scored by Ahmed Alaa (19’), Akram Afif (58’) and Hamza Akram (90’).
Akam Afif, who is currently playing for KAS Eupen in Belgium, was awarded with the trophy for the tournament’s topscorer after having scored four goals throughout Qatar’s five games at the ‘West Asian Championship’. He was handed the trophy by FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan.