On February 1, Beijing time, the 1 8 finals of the Asian Cup have ended, and the top eight teams have been produced. The next 1 4 final matchups have also been confirmed. The matches in the top half of the zone are Tajikistan against Jordan and Australia against South Korea. In the bottom half, Qatar plays Uzbekistan and Iran plays Japan.
In the 1 8 finals, both Tajikistan and Jordan performed well, successfully eliminating their opponents to advance, which was an unexpected result. Tajikistan, as a new face of the Asian Cup, reached the quarterfinals in its first competition and became the biggest dark horse of this competition. Jordan may not be a West Asian powerhouse, but they have reached the quarterfinals twice in the past. This match will be a clash between the two teams, with the winner making history and advancing to the semi-finals for the first time.
The Australian team performed well in this Asian Cup, with 2 wins and 1 draw in the group stage, and defeated Indonesia 4-0 in the 1 8 final, without too many challenges. South Korea faced a test in the group stage, finishing second in the group with 1 win and 2 draws, and narrowly won the 1 8 final against Saudi Arabia after a hard-fought 120-minute battle and penalty shootout. In terms of lineup, South Korea have the advantage, but Australia have the advantage in terms of fitness.
As the host and defending champions, Qatar is in the most comfortable region. In the group stage, they easily won all three games and successfully advanced to the top spot. 1 8 finals against Palestine, they also won 2-1 to advance. Uzbekistan has always been the leader of Central Asian football, and the performance of this Asian Cup is also quite good, ranking second in the group stage with 1 win and 2 draws and 5 points, and facing Thailand in the 1 8 finals, eliminating the opponent 2-1 with the advantage of the whole game. This match will be the biggest test for Uzbekistan so far in this Asian Cup.
Japan suffered a shock from Iraq in the group stage, losing 1-2, but quickly adjusted their form and finished second in the group stage with 2 wins and 1 loss, and eliminated Bahrain in the 1 8 finals to advance. The Japanese team has a luxurious squad and strong strength, and is one of the favorites to win the championship. Iran, as a traditional powerhouse in West Asia, also performed well in this Asian Cup, winning all three games in the group stage to achieve the top spot with 9 points, and winning the 1 8 final against Syria. The clash between the two powerhouses, Japan and Iran, will be one of the most watched matches in the 1 4 finals. Qatar Asian Cup