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After just over four weeks, 50 games and 128 goals, only two teams remain in contention for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 title as hosts and defending champions Qatar get set to take on the tournament’s surprise package Jordan in Saturday’s final at Lusail Stadium.
Having swept all challengers aside in the 2019 edition, Qatar have been just as impressive this time round, edging continental heavyweights the Iran 3-2 in the semifinals to return to the final.
Jordan, meanwhile, had already produced their best-ever performance on the continent by reaching the semifinals before they stunned Korea Republic 2-0 in the last four to continue their fairytale journey.
As the two West Asian nations prepare to face off with Asia’s most prestigious trophy on the line, AFC Media has selected five things to look out for.
Another spectacular show at Lusail
When Lionel Messi lifted the FIFA World Cup into the night sky at Lusail Stadium towards the end of 2022, it brought the curtain down on one of the great World Cups after what most people would regard as the best final of all time. Just under 14 months on, the same venue is set to host the showcase event after what has been an incredible AFC Asian Cup, too.
From start to finish, the continental competition has thrilled football lovers across Asia, with matches that will live long in the memory, late drama, and plenty of upsets to boot – none more so than Jordan reaching their first-ever AFC Asian Cup final after stunning a red-hot Iraq side and then ousting a star-studded Korea.
When Qatar and Jordan take to the pitch, they will do so in front of a capacity crowd of more than 88,000 featuring tens of thousands from the host nation and a sea of travelling Jordanians who have flocked to stadiums across the country to witness their side create history. Both sets of supporters are sure to generate an atmosphere befitting of the occasion as the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 gets set for one last night of drama.
Can Afif finish as top scorer?
In Qatar’s superb seven-game winning run en route to a first AFC Asian Cup title in 2019, Akram Afif assisted a record 10 goals – more than half of his side’s overall tally – in what was a brilliant individual campaign. Five years on and the Al Sadd SC forward’s performances are equally as good as he has fired the Maroons into another final.
This time round, in addition to a further three assists, Afif has also become Qatar’s main man in front of goal, netting three of their five group stage goals, the Round of 16 winner against Palestine and a fabulous strike in the semifinal win over Iran to mean he goes into the final with a real chance of finishing as top scorer.
Iraq’s Aymen Hussein currently leads the way with six goals, while Afif is in second place with five goals. And, due to his superior number of assists to Hussein, he will almost certainly finish as the top scorer if he finds the back of the net in the final. While individual accolades may not be at the forefront of Afif’s mind, his performances so far would mean few would back against him doing just that.
Will Al Tamari shine on the biggest stage?
One of the stars of the tournament so far, Mousa Al Tamari’s performances in Qatar have turned him into one of the most talked-about players on the continent. The 26-year-old saved his best showing so far for the semifinals when he created Jordan’s first goal with an inch-perfect through ball before scoring a sublime second as the Jordanians eliminated Korea.
Al Tamari has enjoyed a steady rise over the years, becoming one of the few players from his homeland to move to Europe when he joined APOEL in Cyprus in 2018. Impressive performances there saw Belgian side OH Leuven come calling before French Ligue 1 side Montpellier snapped him up in mid-2023 and he has already become a first-team regular in one of Europe’s biggest leagues.
Like the rest of his Jordan teammates, the forward now stands on the verge of completing a remarkable rise to prominence in Asian football and achieving a feat few would have thought possible just a couple of weeks ago. While Qatar will look to Afif for inspiration, in Al Tamari, Jordan have their very own talisman who will look to deliver in what is the biggest match of his career.
Can Qatar breach Jordanian backline?
Since the aforementioned Aymen Hussein put Iraq 2-1 up against Jordan after 76 minutes of their Round of 16 match-up, Hussein Ammouta’s side have not conceded another goal in what is now – with stoppage time accounted for – well over 200 minutes of action in which neither Tajikistan nor Korea could find a way past.
Two successive shutouts in the quarter-finals and semifinals have laid the foundations for the Jordanians’ march to the final. Australia, who beat Indonesia 4-0 in the Round of 16, are the only other side to have kept a clean sheet in the knockout rounds, while three clean sheets in their six games so far is matched only by the Australians, Thailand and Saturday’s opponents.
Against Korea, Jordan had just 30 percent of possession, but got numbers behind the ball and limited their opponents to just seven shots, none of which were on target. They were then clinical on the break as the Koreans were ousted following a game plan that worked to perfection. If Qatar are to defend their title, they will need to break through a resilient Jordanian backline that has got better as the tournament has progressed.
Back-to-back or new champions?
When Qatar edged Iran to progress to the showpiece event, they matched Australia’s feat of reaching back-to-back finals in 2011 and 2015. However, the Socceroos only won one of those, and the last team to win the title in successive editions was Japan when they lifted the 2000 and 2004 titles. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Korea Republic are the other nations to have gone back-to-back.
Jordan’s victory over Korea, meanwhile, ensured they became the 11th team to reach the final since the knockout round format was introduced in 1972. Five other nations appearing in the final for the first time have ended up lifting the trophy: Iran (1972), Saudi Arabia (1984), Japan (1992), Iraq (2007) and Qatar (2019).
Whoever comes out on top of Saturday’s final will create more history. Should Qatar go back-to-back, they would become only the fifth side to win the title on more than one occasion and will go down as one of the greatest sides to ever grace the competition. If it’s Jordan, they would become the 10th AFC Asian Cup winners after a campaign that has enthralled many onlookers.
MATCH
Jordan v Qatar
Venue: Lusail Stadium (Doha)
Kick-off: 18:00 (UTC+3)
