Akram Afif Named MVP And Top Score Of 2023 Asian Cup

Akram Afif became the Best Player and Top Score of the 2023 Asian Cup (doc. AFC).

JAKARTA - Akram Afif was named the 2023 Asian Cup Player of the Year and won the Top Score Yili Award after Qatar defeated Jordan 3-1 in the final match at the Lusail Stadium, Saturday, February 10, 2024.

The striker scored a penalty hat trick in the final, bringing his goal to eight. In addition, Afif has also packed three assists throughout the 2023 Asian Cup.

He became an important actor in The Maroons to defend the Asian Cup title. Qatar previously also won the 2019 edition of the Asian Cup, which Akram Afif has also become part of the team.

This means that Marquez Lopez's team became the country that won the Asian Cup twice as lucky.

They joined four other countries that had already done so, namely South Korea (1956 and 1960), Iran (1968 and 1972), Saudi Arabia (1984 and 1988), and Japan (2000 and 2004).

Meanwhile, Akram Afif opened the scoring in the 2023 Asian Cup when he scored a brace in a 3-0 win over Lebanon in the first match of Group A.

The star Al Sadd SC then scored a winning goal when he beat Tajikistan 1-0.

The coffers of Akram Afif's goal continued to grow in the knockout stages. He scored in the last 16 when he beat Palestine 2-1.

In the semifinals, Akram Afif again managed to record a brace when Qatar buried Iran's dream with a 3-2 victory.

Interestingly, four of Akram Afif's eight goals or half came from penalty executions.