Qatar’s Almoez Ali Not to Think about Breaking Ali Daei’s Record
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - After making history by equaling Ali Daei's longstanding record for most goals in an AFC Asian Cup, Qatar striker Almoez Ali immediately turned his attention to Friday's final against Japan.
Ali, who was born four months before Daei set the record in the 1996 edition of the tournament, drew level with the Iran legend eight minutes before half time, scoring superbly from the edge of the penalty area to put his side 2-0 up against the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to the-AFC.com after his side's eventual 4-0 win, the in-form Al Duhail front man expressed his joy, before turning his attention to the tournament decider.
"I wasn’t thinking about equaling Ali Daei’s record," he said. "No, I just left it to fate, and thankfully I managed to score a goal and bring joy to my parents, the Qatari people and my teammates.
"This is what I was thinking about, to score for the fans and I did it. Now we have to focus on the next match and study Japan very well," he added.
"Of course, I was really happy with the goal," he said. "It was a beautiful strike, but it means nothing, because our objectives are bigger than just scoring a beautiful goal. I have to keep my head down and work so I can reach my objectives," Ali stated.
“I would like to congratulate the Qatari people back home who supported us since the start of the tournament and my teammates who gave their all on the pitch and proved their worth. We achieved a dream of all Qataris, and hopefully we will do even better in the future," he beamed.
"The final needs patience, so if we are patient, play well and forget about everything we did so far, only then will we win the final," Almoez Ali concluded.
