Akram Afif shines as Qatar thrash Bangladesh 5-0 to inch closer to Asian qualification

#Qatar #Bangladesh #FIFA #AkramAfif Reigning Asian champions Qatar took a long-awaited step towards AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualification, scoring an emphatic 5-0 win over Bangladesh at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on Friday. Abdulaziz Hatem opened the scoring before Akram Afif and Almoez Ali added two goals each as the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts took all three points in 2020’s first and only Asian Qualifiers fixture. Asia’s first competitive international match since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the clash was attended by 1,044 socially-distanced fans. A meeting between the Asian champions and a Bangladesh side boasting just one point from their previous four Asian Qualifiers match was also going to be a tough assignment for the South Asian side, and it took just four minutes for the alarm bells to start ringing as Qatar’s Ahmed Alaaeldin hit the post with an early headed attempt.