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LUSAIL, Qatar — Qatar has begun its defense of the Asian Cup with a 3-0 win against Lebanon at Lusail Stadium. Two goals from Akram Afif and another from Almoez Ali saw the host nation make a perfect start as the tournament kicked off in front of a crowd of 82,490. The only concern for Qatar coach Bartolome Marquez Lopez was an injury to star forward Ali in the second half. But Afif proved how important he will be to his team's hopes of retaining the Asian Cup with clinical finishes at the end of each half. The forward opened the scoring in the 45th and rounded off the win in stoppage time at the end of the Group A match.
