Qatar and Japan will compete for the Asian Cup honours on Friday at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Friday evening.
While Japan are four-time champions of the continental championship, Qatar have made it into the finals for the very first time. The Maroons have been impressive given that they didn’t concede a single goal in six matches and are the smallest nation to have qualified for the final.
Former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o, who plies his trade in Qatar Stars League (QSL) for Qatar Sports Club (QSC), has backed the 2022 World Cup hosts to put up a strong performance against Japan. He also opined that they have shown on the back of their Asian Cup campaign that they can go toe-to-toe with some of the best footballing countries.
“I am confident of Qatar's chances in the Asian Cup final. For sure, they are developing into a good team which can trouble not just Asia's best but also teams from other continents in the 2022 World Cup at home,” Eto’o told Goal.
Almoez Ali has been the star at the Asian Cup with eight goals to his name. The Al-Duhail striker has equaled the record of the legendary Ali Daei who also scored eight goals in the 1996 edition of the competition which incidentally was also held in UAE.
The former Barcelona forward heaped praise on Almoez Ali and stated that the 22-year-old is certainly one of the brightest prospects among the Asian talent.
“He’s given an amazing performance, undoubtedly. His finishing has been clinical with both legs and headers. He is turning out to be one of the best young strikers in Asia,” said the experienced Cameroonian.