Doha: The Asian Cup hosts, Qatar, got their title defence off to a flying start with a 3-0 opening-match victory over Lebanon on Friday. As the defending champions set the early pace in Group A, Qatar dominated from start to finish, and the win was well-deserved. Akram Afif scored twice, and Almoez Ali scored the third, tying him with Lee Dong-gook of the Korea Republic for the second-highest scorer in AFC Asian Cup history. At Lusail Stadium, following a glittering opening ceremony attended by His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the tournament got underway with a bang as the two attackers took centre stage, earning three points for the hosts. After an early goal was disallowed due to offside, Qatar went on a dominating run that ended just before halftime when Afif scored after he was set up by Ali inside the box, giving Qatar a 1-0 lead. In the 31st minute, Afif had a golden opportunity, but his dipping header from Yusuf Abdurisag's cross barely missed the crossbar. However, in the dying moments of the half, the 2019 AFC Player of the Year made up for his earlier miss. The Lebanese came out strong in the second half, and Jradi nearly put Qatar in a bind in the 47th minute when Pedro Miguel deflected his shot from just outside the penalty area. Afif capped an impressive night for Qatar deep into added time when he capitalised on loose defending to slot home. Ali, the top scorer in the 2019 edition, doubled the lead in the 56th minute when he headed home Mohammed Waad's inviting cross from the left flank. Lebanon had moments on the counter-attack to give their travelling fans hope, but Qatar held firm. On Wednesday, Qatar will take on Tajikistan to extend their winning streak and secure a place in the round of sixteen, while Lebanon will look to get back on track against China PR.