Jordan is set to face the host nation Qatar this Saturday in their first-ever Asian Cup final, with Qatar aiming to become the second team to win back-to-back titles in this century.
The Jordanian team surprised everyone by beating South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals, while Qatar secured a 3-2 win against Iran in a thrilling match.
Match preview
Initially, it seemed like Jordan was up against a much stronger team in the semi-finals, but they proved everyone wrong by keeping the South Koreans under pressure for the entire game.
Hussein Ammouta came up with a brilliant strategy, which his team implemented flawlessly, preventing the Korean team from getting any shots on target. The Korean team, known for its strong attackers and ranked 23rd by FIFA, 64 spots ahead of Jordan, couldn’t break through Jordan’s defense.
Jordan has improved its defense after a dramatic victory against Iraq (3-2) in the last 16, achieving two consecutive clean sheets.
Jordan prefers fast-paced counterattacks over maintaining possession, having less than 50% possession in five out of their six Asian Cup games. They lost the only game where they had more possession than their opponent (1-0 loss to Bahrain).
Jordan has reached the finals of two Asian tournaments this century but lost both. Their last win in a competitive final was against Iraq at the 1999 Arab Games, winning on penalties.
Jordan’s 2-1 victory against Qatar in a friendly at the start of January was their first win against them since the 2008 West Asian Football Federation Championship semi-finals (3-0).
Qatari fans enjoyed an exciting semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium, with the game full of opportunities and suspense until the very end.
An early goal by Iran put Qatar behind in an Asian Cup game for the first time since the 2015 group stage. However, they managed to win their first game in this competition in normal time after conceding first.
Qatar’s goal in the 82nd minute was enough to eliminate Iran, who, despite being a player short, nearly equalized in the final moments.
Qatar is the first host country to reach the final since Australia in 2015 and aims to be the eighth host to win the trophy. Only China, in 2004, has lost the final at home.
Tintin Marquez has led his team to seven straight wins since losing to Jordan last month, scoring in 10 consecutive matches.
A victory on Saturday would make Qatar only the fourth country to retain the title in the tournament’s history, and the first since Japan in 2004.
Jordan Asian Cup form: W D L W W W
Qatar Asian Cup form: W W W W W W
Team News
Jordan made four changes for their semi-final win, with Bara’ Marei, Nizar Al-Rashdan, and Mohammad Abu Hasheesh stepping in for Salem Al-Ajalin, Rajaei Ayed, and Ali Olwan.
Ihsan Haddad might play his 75th game for the national team on Saturday, and Mohammad Abu Zrayq is aiming for his 25th appearance.
Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari scored their third goals of the tournament on Tuesday, while Yazid Abulaila secured his third clean sheet.
Salah Zakaria is still injured and might be the only player unavailable for Qatar in the final.
Qatar introduced two new players in their starting lineup against Iran, with Yusuf Abdurisag and Homam Ahmed replacing Hassan Al-Haydos and Tarek Salman.
Jassem Gaber scored his first international goal, Almoez Ali added his second of the tournament, and Akram Afif scored his fifth, just one behind Aymen Hussein for the most in this tournament.
Jordan possible starting lineup:
Abulaila;
Nasib, Al-Arab, Marei;
Haddad, Al-Rashdan, Al-Rawabdeh, Abu Hasheesh;
Al-Taamari, Olwan;
Al-Naimat
Qatar possible starting lineup:
Barsham;
Ro-Ro, Mendes, Mukhtar, Waad;
Gaber, Fatehi, Al-Haydos, Ahmed;
Ali, Afif
Prediction: Jordan 1-2 Qatar
Finals can be unpredictable, and we anticipate a tight match with both teams playing cautiously.
Both teams have shown they can win in different ways throughout the tournament, but Qatar has a slight edge with players who can create something special, often the difference in such matches.
