Qatar's Ali scores record ninth goal in Asian Cup final

Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Final - Japan v Qatar - Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - February 1, 2019 Qatar's Almoez Ali scores their first goal REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Qatar striker Almoez Ali scored with an overhead kick in the 12th minute of the Asian Cup final against Japan on Friday to better Iranian Ali Daei's 1996 tally of eight at a single continental championship.

The Sudan-born 22-year-old and his team mate Bassam Al Rawi were the subject of a protest by the United Arab Emirates FA over their eligibility to represent Qatar which was dismissed by the Asian Football Confederation only hours before kickoff.

Ali's strike combined with a 27th minute goal from Abdulaziz Hatem gave the 2022 World Cup hosts a surprise 2-0 lead at halftime at the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Final - Japan v Qatar - Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - February 1, 2019 Qatar's Almoez Ali celebrates scoring their first goal with team mates REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Toby Davis)