After the recent emotional matches, Jordan, South Korea, Iran and Qatar have officially entered the semi-finals. The results of the two dramatic matches onFPT Play at 10pm tonight, February 6 and tomorrow night, February 7, will decide who will be the owners of the tickets to the final of this year's Asian Cup.
South Korea rematch rivals
At the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, South Korea and Jordan will play their first semi-final match. Originally drawn in Group E, this will be the second meeting between the two teams since the start of the season. Previously, South Korea had a very difficult time overcoming Jordan in the group stage.
It was not until defender Yazan Al-Arab scored an own goal in injury time that coach Klinsmann and his team were able to secure a 2-2 result. In a game that was lower than expected, a draw with the underdog team is unlikely to satisfy the Korean team. They will do their best to assert their position in the upcoming match.
Compared to the group stage, the “Taeguk warriors” played better and better. In the quarter-final match against Australia, Lee Kang In, as the “heart”, appeared in most of the attacks, Hwang Hee Chan “opened his account” with the equalizer and Son Heung Min shone with a free kick that sealed the victory.
In this year’s tournament, Korea often scored in the final minutes. This is a very remarkable detail. In the last 4 matches, the “former king” of Asia in 1960 all scored in extra time.
Hwang Hee Chan (number 11) scored his first goal at the 2023 Asian Cup against Australia.
Jordan has experienced this before. Although they have achieved their best performance in history by reaching the semi-finals from third place in the group stage, the West Asian team still needs to concentrate all their efforts if they do not want the past to repeat itself.
Abundant physical strength is the advantage of coach Hussein Ammouta's team. This helped them successfully reverse the score against Iraq in the round of 16 and create an overwhelming match against Tajikistan in the quarterfinals.
More or less, South Korea and Jordan have understood each other's playing styles. The upcoming match promises to be a tight affair and it is possible that the two teams will need more than 90 minutes to determine the result.
The Great War in West Asia
The other semi-final will be a contest between two West Asian teams - Iran and host Qatar - at Al Thumama Stadium. Previously, Iran under coach Amir Ghalenoei had a dramatic win over Japan in the quarter-finals while Qatar beat Uzbekistan after a penalty shootout.
At this point, Iran is considered the better team. According to statistics, the team ranked second in Asia (according to FIFA rankings) has won the last 6 meetings with Qatar. Most recently, they defeated their opponent 4-0 in the final of the Jordan International Friendly Tournament in October last year.
Iran's Jahanbakhsh celebrates his victory over Japan.
The performance against Japan was the clearest proof of Iran’s strength. Coach Ghalenoei and his team successfully blocked most of the “blue samurai” attacks thanks to their impressive physique and strength.
Iran's attacks were few in number, not too flashy but extremely effective, easily causing the opponent to make mistakes. Previously in the round of 16, Iran, despite having to play with one less player, still resiliently overcame Syria.
In tomorrow night’s match, Iran will also welcome the return of “killer” Mehdi Taremi after his suspension ends. This will help the West Asian team gain more confidence to advance to the Asian Cup final for the first time since 1976.
Akram Afif is Qatar's number one striker.
Qatar is also in impressive form. Being both the host and defending champion, coach Tintin Marquez and his team, despite being under a lot of pressure from fans, still played well and won consecutive matches. Qatar's brightest star is Akram Afif, the striker who contributed 4 goals and 2 assists at the 2023 Asian Cup.
He still has a chance to win the “top scorer” award when the leader Aymen Hussein (6 goals) was eliminated with Iraq. Afif is also the most dangerous concern that Iran needs to find a way to prevent.
Will Iran win to break the "jinx" of not going beyond the semi-finals that has lasted nearly half a century or will Qatar continue to play well and reach the final of the continental tournament for the second consecutive time? All will be answered after the upcoming exciting "West Asian derby".
The two semi-final matches between Korea - Jordan, Iran - Qatar will be broadcast live at 10pm on February 6 and 7 on the FPT Play system. Readers register for an FPT Play account to watch all matches in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 final round and many other attractive sports and entertainment content.
Bao Anh
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