The final of the Asian Cup Qatar football tournament was held on the 10th, and the host Qatar defeated Jordan 3-1, achieving its second consecutive victory since 2019. Striker Akram Afif scored a hat-trick from the penalty spot.
Japan, Iran, Qatar and hosts the United Arab Emirates reached the semi-finals, with Japan beating Iran 3-0 to advance to the final, but losing 3-1 to Qatar to finish as runners-up. This time, South Korea replaced Japan in the semi-finals, but lost 0-2 to Jordan in the group stage rematch. Held in Australia in 2015 and also in the Middle East in 2019 and 2024, it may have some influence, but judging from the top eight, there are only 3 Middle Eastern countries in the last edition and this year.
Two of them are Qatar and Iran, and the other is the UAE last time and Jordan this time. With this in mind, it might be more accurate to say that Qatar and Iran have demonstrated their capabilities rather than a particularly big breakthrough in the Middle East, and Jordan has joined them. With that in mind, there are a few reasons why Middle Eastern teams are so strong in the Asian Cup. First of all, he has a clear attack intensity, has a clear direction, plays to the advantage in attack, and at the same time defends tenaciously. Jordan have two of the best attackers in Asia, tall striker Yazan Al Neimat and Moussa Al Tamari, who plays for Montpellier in the French First Division, but the team shares the same mentality and passes the ball to them in a good way.
Qatar's style is to receive the ball from their own half, but their first two players are Akram Afif and Almoez Ali, with Akram Afif scoring five goals in this World Cup (at the end of the semi-finals) and Almoz Ali scoring the winning goal. In Qatar, former Portugal coach Queiroz, who led the team after the World Cup, abruptly resigned before the start of the Asian Cup. It was a "farce" drama in which head coach Márquez López was hastily poached from Wakra in his home league.
With Qatar's recent breakthroughs, it may be questionable whether such a change will be a success, but it is certain that playing to the top is a theory for winning the Asian Cup. In addition, for Asia as a whole, the analytical capabilities of opponents are improving. European managers are not only coaching the national team, but also the domestic league, which is already commonplace, and there are fewer and fewer ways to play purely long balls and rely on physical strength, and I will be thorough. Jordan was excellent against South Korea, using ground passes to attract pressure from behind on the counter-attack, which was quite effective.
Morocco coach Almota's Jordanian side had a high quality attack and gave the impression that South Korea were determined to win, but the Palestine side made the most of this in a 2-16 defeat to Qatar in the round of 16. He created difficulties for the defending champions, including targeting Qatar's back.
Iraq beat Japan in the group stage but lost 2-3 to Jordan in the round of 16, but they used a clear counter-attack against Japan and opted for a solid passing and break-through fighting style against Jordan. The height of the base. Each nation has a solid tactical foundation, and in the game plan, they combine their strengths with the weaknesses of their opponents and execute a fighting style to achieve victory.
In this regard, I have to say that the attitudes of Japan and South Korea are ambiguous. What may be holding them back may be their desire to evolve from the World Cup in Qatar into a team capable of dominating Asia. For example, we've built a defensive style based on being able to defend one-on-one and put our guys in front of us, but when we have difficult times like the Iraq and Iran games, we're able to withstand it well, improve our own performance. I think there are fewer plans for the introduction of time periods. After the match against Iran, it was pointed out that there was a "difference in passion" between them and the Asian Cup, but it was not just the strength of their feelings, but the level of focus they were on winning the Asian Cup.
For Japan and South Korea, striving for world number one is not a bad goal, but if the goal is world number one, for example, we have to stick to it for a while and then get back on track. I don't think I think Vector is fit to blow him away. Not only Qatar and Jordan, which advanced to the finals, but also Iran, which lost in the semi-finals, defeated Japan. Japan and South Korea may be better than any team in the past in terms of talent and overall quality, but with the rise of the Middle East and even Southeast Asian countries, it is clear that they have the quality to face the game right in front of them.
Not only Qatar and Jordan, which advanced to the finals, but also Iran, which lost in the semi-finals, defeated Japan. Japan may be better than any team in the past in terms of talent and overall quality, but with the rise of the Middle East and even Southeast Asian countries, it is clear that they have the quality to face the game right in front of them. I can feel the difference. That doesn't mean they don't have a chance to win, though, but the result of being knocked out of the quarterfinals has certainly made them aware of a lot.