The stunning defeat of Japan by the Qatari national men’s team in the Asian Cup final took the world of football by surprise. After defeating Lebanon, North Korea, South Korea, and regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Maroons went into the final on February 1 with a 16-0 goal differential, and ultimately beat the Japan side 3-1. Japan is a four-time winner of the tournament and placed third in the Asian Football Association (AFC) ranking. Coming into the tournament, Qatar was ranked outside the top 10 in Asia, and at 93 in the FIFA world ranking.

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