Iran vs Qatar- Hosts Qatar edge Iran in a thrilling contest to enter back-to-back Asian Cup finals
Defending champions and hosts Qatar clinched back-to-back Asian Cup final tickets after a thrilling semifinal win over Iran on Wednesday (Feb 7). The contest played at the Al Thumama Stadium saw the hosts overturn an early deposit to register a 3-2 win and take a giant step towards Sunday’s final where they will meet Jordan. An 82nd minute strike from Almoez Ali was the difference-maker for the hosts as they erased the memories of a horror FIFA World Cup campaign in 2022.
Iran vs Qatar Match Analysis
With no shortage of drama during the match, Iran had their noses in front as early as the fourth minute after star striker Sardour Azmoun scored the opening goal. The AS Roma frontman hooked the ball over his head and into the net to give his side an early advantage. Mehdi Taremi then had a superb chance to double the lead after Alireza Jahanbakhsh had released him for an easy tap in, however, he failed to convert his chance.
Soon Qatar made them pay after netting a 17th minute equaliser as Jassem Gaber Abdulsallam’s shot deflected off Iran’s Saeed Ezatolahi and looped up over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. At 1-1, both teams then had half chances made but failed to convert in the final third as they remained on parity. Akram Afif then notched his fifth goal of the tournament with a wonderful strike in the 43rd minute to see his side take the lead for the first time in the match. While Iran claimed there was a foul in the build-up, the goal was allowed to stand despite the protest.
However, that lead did not last long as Qatar conceded a penalty after a brief VAR check saw defender Ahmed Fatehi had blocked a goal-bound shot with his hand. This resulted in a penalty six minutes into the second half as Jahanbakhsh made no mistake to put get his side back to square one.
Match-winner Ali then scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute to break the Iranian hearts as their wait for the first continental title since 1976 continues. Qatar will now face Jordan in Sunday’s summit clash with both teams ready for the big clash.
