Tournament top goalscorer Almoez Ali has scored a sensational bicycle kick to open the scoring in the Asian Cup final between Qatar and Japan.

Japan may be the heavy favourites to win the tournament, but they went 1-0 down in the showpiece final when Ali opened the scoring in outrageous fashion.

Fifteen yards out from goal, Ali controlled a high pass before juggling the ball in the air with his second touch.

He then hooked an incredible bicycle kick into the corner of the goal with his third touch to send Qatar into the lead.

US readers can watch the sensational goal below.

Ali was the subject of controversy ahead of the match, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) dismissing a protest about the eligibility of two Qatar players less than three hours before the Gulf state's national team play in their first Asian Cup final.

The protest relates to Sudan-born forward Ali, the tournament's top scorer, and defender Bassam Al Rawi, who was born in Iraq, and it was made by the United Arab Emirates' football association a day after Qatar beat the UAE 4-0 in a heated semi-final.

According to documents that have been published on websites in the UAE and elsewhere, the mothers of Ali and Al Rawi were not born in Qatar, as has been claimed by the Qatari federation, so neither player is eligible for selection.

But with the clock ticking down to Friday evening's final against four-time winners Japan in Abu Dhabi, the AFC issued a short statement to say the matter had been reviewed and closed.

"The Asian Football Confederation Disciplinary and Ethics Committee on Friday dismissed the protest lodged by the United Arab Emirates Football Association over the eligibility of two Qatar players," it said.