A First Taste Of Gold

Qatar’s Asian Cup win has not only put the country in the spotlight, but has also created a consensus that it won’t merely be a participating nation when it hosts the 2022 World Cup.

- Shyam Vasudevan

Veni, vidi, vici. The marauding Maroons came, saw and conquered Asian football in astonishing fashion.

Ranked outside the continent’s top 10 teams, few apart from former Barcelona midfielder Xavi expected Qatar to lift the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. But marshalled by Spaniard Felix Sanchez, who has been at the helm for a little less than two years, the Qataris went on an absolute rampage in the United Arab Emirates, leaving behind better ­favoured teams like South Korea and Saudi Arabia in their path of destruction, scoring a phenomenal 19 goals and conceding just one, that too in the final after 608 minutes of play.

The Qataris braved the odds, which were aplenty, on their way to their first major trophy. Firstly, Qatari citizens are largely barred from entering the UAE, as well as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Gulf state has been estranged from its neighbours since June 2017, mainly because of its alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE and Saudi Arabia consider a terrorist organisation. Consequently, Qatar played without any support, barring a lone South Korean fan and a handful of Omanis.

Qatar’s national anthem was met with jeers, but the players motored on, even amid a barrage of sandals and water bottles that rained on them every time they scored against the UAE in the semifinals.

Qatar was accused of document tampering and illegal naturalisation of players by the UAE, as late as a few hours before the final, and the UAE Football Association had lodged a formal complaint with the Asian Football Confederation over the eligibility of two of Qatar’s players, which was subsequently dismissed by the AFC.

But the 11 men on the pitch had their blinkers on, remained focused on the task at hand and delivered to perfection. And to call this win a fluke would be an injustice toa side moulded by Sanchez into champions.