The 27-year-old has scored once in the current edition, making him the joint all-time second highest top scorer but the Al Duhail SC star said  personal records are not at the top of his priorities.

“Personal achievements are not what I focus on,” said Ali. “I focus on the team. We take it one  match at a time. The goals will come but the team comes first and Almoez Ali comes second.

“I’m very proud to represent Qatar in 107 international games. I always think of trying to help my teammates and the team.

“At the end of the day, it’s the team that needs to score, not which player is scoring. We work hard and we hope for the best.

The partnership between Ali and Akram Afif has fuelled Qatar’s bid to defend the title, with both playing key roles in the goals the other has scored..

“Yes, the relationship with my brother Akram is close, 10 years of communication and friendship. I call him Mr Assister because he creates so much for me and the other players. 

“We’re always helping each other and we’re all like a family. Akram is a player and a coach for us because he finds solutions for us and we’re lucky to have him in our team.”

Rested for the final Group A match against China PR, Ali is raring to go when they take on Palestine at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday.

“We’re responsible, we treat the match just like any other qualifying game. We will be ready for the match. We will try to create chances and we will try to be aggressive in the box and hopefully, we can break the Palestinian defence to score.

“The match will be very important for the Qatari team. We’re the champions and we know the importance of this stage. Hopefully our tactics will lead us to victory and move onto the next stage.”