Iran ‘59.6%’ or Qatar ‘40.4%’ to reach the final
Iran and Qatar will go head-to-head for a spot in the final.
Iran and Qatar will meet in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar 2023 at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Aug. 8 at 0:00 a.m. ET. The winner of this match will face Jordan, who beat South Korea to reach the final.
One ticket to the final is up for grabs. Jordan faced South Korea in the semifinals on Sunday. The two teams had already met in the second round of the group stage and played to a 2-2 draw. Son Heung-min’s penalty kick gave South Korea the lead, but Jordan came back with two goals in the last minute of the first half. However, they equalized just before the end of regulation to draw the match.
In the quarterfinals, Jordan was the better team. They pressured Korea heavily from the start of the first half. In response, Korea’s players lost the ball or misplaced passes in dangerous areas. The first half ended 0-0, with goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo making several saves.
However, it was Korea’s misplaced passes that eventually proved costly. In the eighth minute of the second half, Al Tamari cut off Park Yong-woo’s backpass and slipped a pass to Al Naimat. Al Naimat finished with a sensational chip shot. Then, in the 21st minute of the second half, Jordan pressured Hwang In-beom and stole the ball, and Al Tamari rattled the net.
With the victory, Jordan reached the Asian Cup final for the first time in its history. Iran and Qatar will now face off for the remaining spot.
Football statistics outlet Opta gave Iran a 59.6% chance of reaching the final, while Qatar had a 40.4% chance of making it. Statistically, the odds are in Iran’s favor. Iran is ranked 21st in the FIFA rankings, while Qatar is 58th. Also, Iran won all six meetings between the 안전놀이터 two teams between 2013 and last year.
Iran is undefeated in five matches at the tournament. The Iranians, who were paired with Palestine, Hong Kong, and the UAE, won three straight matches to top Group B and reach the round of 16. They advanced to the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout with Syria, where they defeated Japan 2-1. The last time Iran reached the top of the Asian Cup was in 1976. Since the 2007 tournament, they have been eliminated in the quarterfinals three times in a row, the last time being in 2019, when they reached the last four and lost 0-3 to Japan.
Despite Iran’s dominance, Qatar is certainly capable of reaching the final. Qatar has the advantage of being home hosts. They are also the defending champions. They won the last edition of the tournament, defeating Iraq, South Korea, the UAE, and Japan. Although they’ve recently suffered back-to-back losses to Iran, this match could have a different outcome.