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In Pictures

Gallery|Football

With love and petals, Qatar welcomes its triumphant footballers

The national team’s return was marked by wild celebrations in the capital, Doha, for the second night running.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (C) welcomes the Qatari national soccer team arriving from UAE at Doha International airport in Doha, Qatar, 02 February 2019. Qatar won the AFC for
Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (centre), welcomed the national football team in Doha on Saturday. [Noushad Thekkayil/EPA]
By Showkat Shafi and Sorin Furcoi
Published On 3 Feb 20193 Feb 2019
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Doha, Qatar – Thousands of Qataris and expat residents gathered in the capital, Doha, to give a hero’s welcome to the national football team following the country’s historic Asian Cup win in the UAE.

Qatar beat four-time winners Japan 3-1 in the final on Friday, sealing the Gulf nation’s first major football triumph.

On Saturday, fans holding national flags, banners and wearing replica jerseys cheered the team as it paraded through Doha’s landmark Corniche on an open-top bus.

The fans, many of whom had waited more than four hours to catch a glimpse of the team, threw flower petals and screamed ecstatically as the bus went past.

Earlier on Friday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani congratulated the national football team for an “historic victory” after it arrived back in the country via Oman, where the players had reached on Friday evening.

“A tribute to our heroes who made this tournament an Arab achievement and… realised the dreams of millions of Qatari football fans across the great Arab world,” Sheikh Tamim wrote on his personal Twitter account.

En route to the final, Qatar beat Saudi Arabia and the UAE, two of the countries that have placed an air, land and sea blockade on the country since June 2015. It also beat Japan and South Korea, teams that have reached semi-finals of the football World Cup in the past. 

A large number of expat workers, that make up the majority of Qatar’s population, were seen celebrating for the second night running.

Rawda Hamad, a Qatari, lauded the fact that residents had joined in on the celebrations and gave the national team so much backing and support.

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“I am here to celebrate the win and to see the trophy come back home. I just feel so blessed that we won, I didn’t expect it. I am just so proud of our team,” Hamad told Al Jazeera.

“Expatriates here make a large part of our community and I hope they feel that this place is home just like we do.”

Additional reporting by Faras Ghani

Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
People of all ages turned up in huge numbers to welcome the team back to Qatar. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Some fans used creativity to join in the celebrations that started early afternoon on Saturday. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
In the Asian Cup, Qatar beat teams ranked higher than them, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Korea and Japan. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The celebrations ranged from fireworks to traditional dances amid a sea of Qatar's white and maroon flags all along the Corniche, adjoining roads and even in the air. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Families, young men and women drove along the thoroughfare, sitting atop their cars or leaning out of the windows and the sunroofs, waving the national flag. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
As the team bus finally made its way along the Corniche, screams and cheers filled the air with fans waving flags, blowing horns and throwing flowers. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
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Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Prior to the Asian Cup, Qatar ranked 93rd in the FIFA rankings. The team lifted the trophy while remaining unbeaten in the tournament and conceding just one goal. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar's coach Felix Sanchez said the tournament win was a 'huge result' for the team. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Narjes Jafarian (left) from Iran and her Qatari friend Rawda Hamad waited more than four hours for the team bus to arrive. 'We have cancelled so many plans just to be here, because it is truly once in a lifetime experience'. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Marwa (right) and Mais, both from Syria, were supporting Qatar because the country was 'supporting Syria from the beginning and all Arab countries like Palestine'. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Fans tried to get as close as possible to the team bus, shouting 'Qatar, Qatar' and chanting their favourite player's name. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar, which will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, ended up with the tournament's top striker and the best goalkeeper awards. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes Asian Cup football champions home [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
The football fans continued to celebrate even after the bus left. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
Qatar welcomes football team [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]
An elaborate fireworks display filled the night sky as the open-top bus made its way across Doha's Corniche. [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]


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