Iran 2-3 Qatar: Ali the hero as holders reach Asian Cup final

Almoez Ali was Qatar’s hero as the Asian Cup hosts and holders overcame Iran 3-2 in thrilling fashion to set up a final against Jordan.

Ali – the leading scorer at the 2019 Asian Cup – showed great composure and technique to settle Wednesday’s chaotic semi-final at Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar’s favour.

Qatar’s winner came after Alireza Jahanbakhsh, fresh from scoring a last-minute spot-kick in the quarters, slammed a penalty down the middle to drag Iran level after Akram Afif’s brilliant strike had put the hosts ahead before the break.

Sardar Azmoun’s early stunner had been cancelled out by Jassem Gaber’s deflected effort, with Iran – whose frustrations were compounded when Shoja Khalilzadeh was sent off – having squandered a glut of opportunities to retake the lead prior to Ali’s winner, while Jahanbakhsh went agonisingly close to forcing extra time when he struck the post in a frantic finale.

FT

Qatar qualify for #AsianCupFinal for a second consecutive time after a massive win against three-time champions IR Iran! #AsianCup2023 | #HayyaAsia | #IRNvQAT pic.twitter.com/guODlYplBK

— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) February 7, 2024

Chaos reigns supreme in an instant classic

Even the xG figures of Iran 3.05, Qatar 1.66 do not tell the whole story of what was quite simply a scintillating match from start to finish. The teams finished with a whopping 37 shots between them – 22 from Iran and 15 from Qatar.

Azmoun’s superb overhead kick, which snapped his three-game scoreless run, set things in motion in the fourth minute – the Roma forward had just a 2.7 per cent chance of converting the opportunity.

Afif, Qatar’s talisman, forced Alireza Beiranvand into a smart stop with a powerful strike as the goalmouth action continued, and Iran’s goalkeeper could only watch on helplessly when Jassem’s shot looped in off Saeid Ezatolahi in the 17th minute, continuing Qatar’s run of scoring in all nine Asian Cup knockout matches they have featured in, moments after Iran were convinced they should have had a penalty following Almahdi Ali’s tackle on Mehdi Taremi.

Heading into this match, Qatar had only averaged 3.5 shots per game at the tournament, yet they had already surpassed that figure when Afif sensationally fired them ahead just before half-time.

Iran restored parity shortly after the restart, Jahanbakhsh drilling home after Ahmed Fathy was harshly penalised for handball after a VAR, but Ali made himself the hero when he latched onto a loose ball.

The 17 minutes of added time at the end of the second half was just as incredible as the 90 minutes it followed: Khalilzadeh saw red after a VAR check for fouling Afif, Ismaeel Mohammad missed a golden chance to put the game to bed, Jahanbakhsh’s shot somehow stayed out after hitting the woodwork, and Meshaal Barsham had to make a brilliant save before Qatar finally got over the line.

Ali comes up good when it matters

After netting nine goals to inspire Qatar to glory in 2019, Ali has had a rather quieter tournament this time around, having also failed to get going at the 2022 World Cup.

But he is still a quality finisher, and the reactions he showed to take a spinning ball under his control and then find the bottom-left corner when the pressure was on showed he has the mettle to step up when it counts.

That was just his second goal of the tournament, and he was supported by the irresistible Afif, who also assisted Qatar’s equaliser as well as putting them ahead.

Afif may never make it to Europe when it comes to his club football, but he is certainly one of Asia’s best players. He had four shots, second only to Azmoun (five) in the match, getting three of them on target, while also attempting a team-leading five dribbles.

Iran’s semi-final hoodoo continues

The loss continues a dreadful semi-final hoodoo at the Asian Cup for three-time winners Iran.

They have now lost seven consecutive Asian Cup semi-finals and have not reached the final since 1976, when they last lifted the trophy.

Qatar’s victory was just their fourth win over Iran in 26 attempts, and snapped a six-game losing streak against them, in which Iran had outscored Qatar 11-1.

The hosts are now unbeaten in 13 straight Asian Cup matches, having scored in each of their last 14 such games, as they became the first team since Australia in 2011 and 2015 to reach successive finals.