Jordan will make their first appearance in the Asia Cup quarterfinals against South Korea. In their previous meeting, the Jordanians defeated Tajikistan 1-0 thanks to an own goal in the second half. The Taegeuk Warriors rallied to beat Australia 2-1 in extra time.
Preview (Jordan vs. South Korea)
Jordan found that their third try at this competition proved to be the charm on Friday. They have failed to advance past the round of eight in their previous two attempts. Luck ultimately proved to be the difference between Hussein Ammouta’s team and Tajikistan. The latter’s players had more goal opportunities and had struck the woodwork in the first half. Jordan recorded their second clean sheet of the campaign on Friday. It marked the first time this group has won an international tournament’s quarterfinal.
This country appears to be fortunate to have Qatar as a friend; in the Western Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship held there in 2013–14, they made it to the semifinals before falling to the aforementioned hosts in the championship match. They are about to make their tournament debut, but they also have a chance to win in normal time on Tuesday for the third time in a row. That would be their greatest winning streak from June to September 2022 (five matches). Jordan had never beaten Korea previously. They came very close to doing so in the competition’s group stage. Yazan Al-Arab’s own goal in stoppage time lost the Chivalrous two points.
Though they have advanced to the semi-finals of every continental tournament he has coached a national team in, whether it be as the USA manager at the CONCACAF Gold Cup or the Asian Cup with Korea, he has them poised for their first Asian Cup final since 2015. Although it is arguable if this side has played remarkably well under Klinsmann, his offensive philosophy has resulted in many goals, as South Korea has scored in 11 straight games across all competitions. In four of their six matches overall, Korea has kept Jordan off the scoreboard thanks to comparatively strong defensive play.
Team News
Jordan’s quarterfinal match was void for Hamza Al-Dardour. He was sent off after the team’s thrilling 3-2 comeback triumph over Iraq in the round of 16. From that game to their quarterfinal match, Noor Al-Rawabdeh was the only new player to make the starting 11, taking Nizar Al-Rashdan’s place. With two goals against him, Yazid Abu Laila recorded his second clean sheet of the tournament. Vakhdat Khanonov’s own goal allowed the Jordanians to move on to the semifinals.
After suffering a cruciate ligament injury during the group stage, Kim Seung-gyu is out. The Korean starting eleven was altered twice, from their round of 16 matches to their quarterfinal matchup with Park Yong-woo, with Hang Hee-chan taking the place of Jung Seung-hyun and Lee Jae-sung. Kim Tae-hwan achieved 30 on Friday, and Kim Young-gwon is two appearances away from 110. It would tie Ki Sung-Yeung for seventh place all-time, and Lee Kang-in is one appearance away from 25.
The Tottenham forward Hwang Hee-Chan scored his 44th international goal late in stoppage time to force extra time against the Socceroos. On Tuesday, he can pass Yoo Sang-chul for sixth place in all-time caps with a spectacular free kick from captain Son Heung-min to send the South Koreans into the semi-finals.
Jordan 1-2 South Korea
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