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October 2 – Having battled against each other for their nations in the 2023 Asian Cup final in February, Jordanian striker Yazan Al Naimat and Qatar’s mercurial Arkram Afif will do battle again in the AFC’s Player of the Year awards.
They will be joined by South Korean full back Seol Young-woo in the final three nominations for the award.
Akram Afif will start as favourite for the award after a stunning Asian Cup where he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a final, finishing with eight goals and three assists to win the Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer titles. At club level he drove Al Sadd SC’s charge to a record 17th Qatar Star League title with 26 goals and 11 assists from 22 matches. Afif won the award in 2019 after Qatar’s first Asian Cup title.
Al Naimat was one of the breakout stars at the Asian Cup, scoring four and contributing two assists as the Jordanians out together a fairy tale run to the final. Three of his goals came in the crucial knock-out stages of the Round of 16 and Semi-final, as well as his country’s maiden goal in the final.
He has continued his goal run scoring three times to help Jordan top their group in the second round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers as they chase a debut slot at the 2026 World Cup.
Less high profile but certainly not less dominant, Seol has propelled himself into the South Korean team with a series of strong performances following his senior debut in June 2023. He started every game of their AFC Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, setting up their stoppage-time equaliser in the last 16 against Saudi Arabia.
Women take centre stage
The AFC Women’s Player of the Year final nominations see Australian striker Courtnee Vine up against Japanese forward Kiko Seike and South Korean captain Kim Hye-ri.
Vine starred at the 2023 World Cup scoring the winning penalty kick against France that put the Aussies into the semi-finals. She played in all seven Australia games. At club level she scored 10 goals…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/10/02/afc-unveils-nominees-2023-awards-afif-al-naimat-replaying-asian-cup-final/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-10-02 05:26:21
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