DOHA – Scorer Akram Afif said “the best is yet to come” after hosts and holders Qatar squeezed into the Asian Cup final against Jordan with a dramatic 3-2 win over Iran on Feb 7.
Almoez Ali struck in the 82nd minute in Doha to send Qatar into their second consecutive final, further exorcising the demons of their first-round exit at the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil just over a year ago, the worst record of any hosts in the competition’s history. But that was all a distant memory as they celebrated in front of over 40,000 fans after a breathless semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium.
“This victory was not easy. We are very proud of ourselves and our fans. They deserve tonight’s win and hopefully the best is yet to come,” said Afif, who scored his fifth goal of the tournament to give Qatar a half-time lead in a frenetic game that saw both teams go on the attack from the start.
Sardar Azmoun gave Iran the lead in the fourth minute, before Qatar equalised soon after when Jassem Gaber’s shot went in via a heavy deflection.
Afif then scored with a wonderful strike minutes before the interval, only for Iran to equalise through an Alireza Jahanbakhsh penalty early in the second period.
Match-winner Ali had scored an Asian Cup-record nine goals to lead Qatar to the 2019 title. but he has managed only one heading into the semi-finals of this tournament.
His late strike was worth the wait for Qatar, who will now try to beat Jordan in the Feb 10 final at Lusail Stadium for their second Asian title.
“We played a very big match. The players did not spare any effort tonight,” said Qatar coach Tintin Marquez, who took over from Carlos Queiroz only a month before the tournament.
“I’m very happy for everybody, the people of Qatar, the fans and the players. It was a complicated match, but we played well. The players implemented my philosophy and ideas, so they deserve my thanks... Now we have one final step left to defend our title.”
Qatar’s win ended Iran’s bid for a first Asian Cup since 1976. They had several chances to take the game into extra time, with Jahanbakhsh hitting the post in the final minute of added time.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei apologised to the Iranian fans and took responsibility, calling it “one of the worst days of my life”.
“This is football and if you don’t take your chances then you will be punished,” he added.
Iran had Shojae Khalilzadeh sent off in injury time before an ugly confrontation between both sets of players flared after the final whistle.
“The things we were hearing from the stands were not really nice and respectful, that’s why there was a reaction afterwards,” said Jahanbakhsh. AFP, REUTERS
