Asian Cup MVP Afif says team-mates gave him belief

Qatar's Asian Cup final hero Akram Afif said "the team and people were behind me" after he scored a hat-trick of penalties in Saturday's 3-1 win over Jordan to help his side retain their title.

The livewire forward was named player of the tournament and finished as top scorer on eight goals for the hosts and defending champions in Doha.  

The 27-year-old said he "scored because of the confidence my teammates had in me". "It's not about the technique or the angle, it's about feeling that the team and people are behind me," he said. Afif celebrated his goals by producing a playing card with his picture on it before the image flipped to an "S".

He later revealed that it was a tribute to his wife, who was attending a game at the stadium for the first time. "'S' is the first letter of my wife's name," he said.