Doha, Qatar – After 107 minutes of chaos, 107 minutes of controversy and emotional and emotional moments, Qatar will play in its second match in a row. Asia Cup The final after defeating Iran 3-2 at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The national team will seek to defend its Asian title against Jordan at Lusail Stadium on Saturday, and is looking to become the first consecutive champion since Japan did so in the 2000 and 2004 editions.
And they have their star, their mascot, Akram Afifvery much to thank for that as well Al-Moez Ali Being in the right place at the right time, some of the most astonishing extra-time minutes in recent memory, and one of the most dramatic saves. A rivet torch One will ever see.
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As the seconds ticked by and exclusion was seen in their faces, Iran was desperately charging forward into Doha. 13 minutes of extra time was shown on the fourth official’s board and that has now disappeared; The match was at the referee’s mercy and at any other time he would resort to stopping after the 90th minute.
With the clock reading 105, the ball fell gently to the substitute Reda Al-Assadi For a shot that was off target until it took a wicked touch Ahmad Fathi It was redirected in the opposite direction, towards the bottom corner.
But somehow, Rivet responded, moving back to his left and slotting it in for a corner. It defied almost every reason why he could do it but he did it.
Ali Reza Jahanbakhsh He had hit the post two minutes before the gift was presented to him, and now he was taking advantage by making a save that would be remembered for a long time.
Its corresponding number Ali Reza Beiranvand Iran took the lead for the ensuing corner kick and remained in place as Iran camped out in search of a final moment of stunning magic but there was no further development.
Amidst these feelings, the two teams clashed when the Qatari players moved to celebrate with their fans on the touchline after the referee’s whistle, and emotions rose among the Iranian players at the end of the match, which will inevitably witness more controversy in the hours and days. the next.
Iran had won its last six matches against Qatar before Wednesday, including a 4-0 win in the Jordan International Championship last October. They have outscored the Maroons 11-1 in those games. But on this night, that was not the case.
Through a chaotic first half, marked by frenetic energy, back-and-forth pushing and counter-pushing, and yes, major arguments that continued into the second stanza, it was Afif who emerged from the maelstrom to pull his team back from behind. Deficit and putting them in a position that they will not give up – preparation Jassim JaberThe team scored in the 17th minute before hitting a powerful ball into the top corner of the goal in the 43rd minute.
It was the striker’s fifth goal of the Asian Cup, along with his equal third assist of the tournament, keeping his side in the game against an Iranian side desperate to end a seventh successive Asian Cup semi-final exit that has overshadowed the Iranian side. Opening 45. Meanwhile, this drought will extend until at least 2027, a period of 47 years.
They took the lead after just four minutes when Jahanbakhsh’s long throw-in was initially crossed by the Iranians. Saeed Ezzat Allahi And then Qatar Ro-ro Before being met with an acrobatic bike kick Sardar AzmounTo take his shoe to him and direct it beyond the rivet.
The deafening noise inside showed what this meant to the Iranian fans, and what was at stake in the match. And in case that wasn’t obvious, the furious pace the game quickly settled into gave a clear clue.
Caution was thrown to the wind as both sides, desperate to reach the final, threw everything they could at each other.
Just moments after Azmoun’s goal, while the Iranian fans were still celebrating, Afif was already finding space and driving in a right-footed shot that Beiranvand caught – adding an extra layer of noise to the cacophony of drums and cheers coming from behind the goal. Objectives.
More golden chances followed for Iran, and on another night, they might have taken a 2-0 lead. But Afif, who was involved in what seemed like almost every promising step forward his team made, made his mark: cutting the ball back for Jassim just above the Iranian penalty area, with the resulting shot deflecting off Ezzatullah and going wide. Beiranvand.
Iran was angry. And not just because they saw lead evaporate
Moments ago, Beiranvand had been waiting for a long statement Mehdi Taremi, only for the attacker to be brought down by a desperate last-minute challenge. The Iranians wanted a penalty kick, but their pleas fell on the deaf ears of the referee and a VAR review when the Qataris managed to equalise.
Here lies another major talking point of the competition, and it is a predictable one, because the refereeing was bound to become a flashpoint on Wednesday, especially after Iran raised complaints about the appointment of Ahmed Al-Ali before the match.
Iran coach Amir Ghalinoi and his staff were waiting for the referee and his team as they looked to head into the tunnel at the end of the first half, moments after their team was called for a penalty kick for handball. Lucas Mendez He waved away and Jahanbakhsh was denied a final chance to hit a long throw.
Before all this, Qatar had found its second and leading position. And it definitely came through Afif.
Having come close to scoring on several occasions before that, Fathi resorted to a watchful sliding challenge to win the ball back and a quick pass forward from Fathi into a yard of space on the left side of the edge of the Iranian penalty area.
But when the next moment of contention came, just seconds into the second stanza, it went to Ghalenoi’s side, with Fathi crossing his arms in front of his face as Ezzatallah sent in a shot, and a VAR review decided it was a handball. With Jahanbakhsh burying the resulting penalty kick.
With the wind in their favor, the Iranians dominated the ensuing exchanges.
Waves of attacks were coming and it felt like it was only a matter of time before they found another way. Ghalinoi, after apologizing to the Iranian people, said that this was one of the best second half his team performed during his tenure. He then went on to declare that Wednesday was one of the worst days of his life.
But Qatar survived and found its way back into things.
A shot rebounded from outside the penalty area by a substitute Abdul Aziz Hatem It went straight to Al-Moez, who took advantage of his gift by turning and shooting the ball into the bottom corner of the goal.
At first glance, it looked like he was comfortably offside, but neither the assistant referee’s knowledge nor VAR’s knowledge restored the goal. He will stand. She led Qatar.
When VAR intervened to improve what was initially a yellow card Shoja Khalilzadeh On Afif and taking it to the red, one would have been forgiven for thinking Iran were finished, yet they took the lead – forcing Qatar to desperately defend their one-goal margin.
However, when the dust settled, they maintained their lead, the final whistle immediately fizzled out by the noise from the home fans in a second successive final.
