Wild celebrations across Qatar after stunning Asian Cup victory

Qatar's national team received a hero's welcome in Doha after their stunning win over Japan in the AFC Asian Cup final. Thousands of fans turned out for a victory parade along Doha Corniche on Saturday night after Al Annabi pulled off a remarkable run of upsets to be crowned champions of Asia for the first time.In Friday's final at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Qatar beat four-time Asian Cup winners Japan 3-1 thanks to goals from Almoez Ali, Abdulaziz Hatem and Akram Afif. Back in Doha, the extraordinary result created a party atmosphere as fans attended special screenings of the match at Katara, Aspire, Souq Waqif and Sheraton Park.Qatar Korea Republic in the quarter-finals raised eyebrows across the continent and meant Qataris started dreaming of claiming a maiden major title. Now that it's been delivered, the whole country is looking forward to a week of celebrations to mark the achievement. It also whets the appetite for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, which H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, alluded to when he congratulated the team on Friday night.He said: "Congratulations to our incredible young national team on making history this evening. Congratulations also to the coaching staff and everyone involved at the Qatar Football Association on this magnificent achievement."And thank you to the people of Qatar – both nationals and expatriates – for the unbelievable support shown to the team. We're proud of our unity. And the story is just the beginning." In 2022, Qatar will follow in the footsteps of Japan by hosting the FIFA World Cup™ as the reigning champions of Asia. And if the celebrations over the weekend are anything to go by, fans across the globe can expect a fever pitch atmosphere when they travel to Qatar for the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Arab world in less than four years' time. (sc.qa)