In an exciting match at Al-Thumama Stadium, Qatar, the title holder, secured their place in an all-Arab final by defeating Iran 3-2 in the semi-finals of the Asian Football Cup, currently being held in Qatar.
Jassem Jaber (17th minute), Ali Afif (43rd minute), and Almoez Ali (82nd minute) scored for Qatar, while Sardar Azmoun (4th minute) and Ali Reza Jahanbakhsh (51st minute penalty) found the net for Iran.
The final will take place at Lusail Stadium next Saturday, with Jordan, led by Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, causing an upset by defeating South Korea 2-0 on Tuesday. This marks the third time an all-Arab final has occurred, following the 1996 edition between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the 2007 edition between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
This was the third encounter between the two teams in the continental finals, with Iran winning the previous two matches 2-0 in the 1988 edition and 1-0 in the 2015 edition in Australia during the group stage.
With this victory, Qatar strengthens its chances of retaining the title, following in the footsteps of South Korea (1956, 1960), Iran (1968, 1972, 1976), Saudi Arabia (1984, 1988), and Japan (2000, 2004).
The surprise on the Qatari side was the decision not to field Spanish coach Tintín Márquez López alongside veteran Hassan Al-Haydos, who holds the record for the most international appearances for his country.
In contrast, Iran welcomed back their striker Mehdi Taremi from Porto, who had been absent in the quarter-final against Japan.
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