Every team participating in the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup is pinning its hopes on their key players to lead them through the advanced stages of the continent-wide competition.
The teams in Group A, consisting of the host nation Qatar, Tajikistan, China, and Lebanon, are relying on their shining stars. Among them are the Qatari Akram Afif, the Lebanese Hassan Maatouk, Tajikistan’s Parvizdzhon Umarbaev, and China’s Wu Lei.
Here are the standout stars of Group A in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup:
Qatari Akram Afif (27 years old)
Akram Afif serves as one of the key attacking weapons for “Al Annabi”. The Qatari Al-Sadd winger is renowned for his high technical skills and abilities, which allow him to easily penetrate opponent defenses, as well as his goal-scoring capabilities.
The Asia’s Best Player of 2019, who has participated in 92 international matches, boasts a scoring tally of 25 goals. In the last Asian Cup, he netted a goal in Qatar’s 3-1 victory over Japan, contributing to their maiden continental title.
In the upcoming edition on his home soil, expectations are high for the Qatar Stars League top scorer of the 2019-2020 season with 15 goals and two-time league MVP (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) to deliver standout performances and help Qatar defend their continental crown.
Tajikistani Parvizdzhon Umarbaev (29 years old)
Since joining the national team in 2015, Umarbaiev has played in 41 international matches, becoming the team captain.
Currently playing at CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria, he occupies the defensive midfield role but also has a knack for scoring, with 9 international goals to his name, 4 of them coming in the qualifiers for the 2023 Asian Cup.
With his former club, FC Istiklol Dushanbe, Umarbaiev has won domestic league titles, cup competitions, and the Super Cup in 2015.
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Chinese Wu Lei (32 years old)
Wu Lei, currently at Shanghai Port, holds the record as the second-highest goal scorer for “The Dragons” national team, with a record of 32 goals in 89 international appearances.
The former Espanyol forward is also the second-highest all-time scorer in the history of the Chinese Super League with 102 goals.
The Chinese set their sights on Wu Lei and his teammates to claim their maiden continental title after two unsuccessful attempts in the Asian Cup finals of 1984 and 2004.
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Lebanese Hassan Maatouk (36 years old)
The star player of Ansar Lebanon and captain of the national team holds the record for the most international caps with 112 matches.
Maatouk, the speedy and skillful striker, has scored 23 goals, surpassing the former international player Wartan Ghazarian, who sits second at 21 goals, to become the all-time leading scorer for Lebanon.
Renowned for his footballing prowess, Maatouk has played professionally in the UAE, turning out for clubs including Al-Shabab, Emirates Club, Ajman, and Fujairah, scoring 46 goals in 91 matches.
With vast experience under his belt, Maatouk aims to lead the Lebanese team past the group stages in their third Asian Cup appearance, which will be hosted by Qatar at the beginning of next year.
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