Qatar will face Iran in the second semi-final of the Asia Cup on Wednesday. In the quarterfinals, Team Melli overcame Japan 2-1 by converting a stoppage-time penalty. The defending champions defeated Uzbekistan on penalties following a 1-1 draw in their match.
Preview (Iran vs. Qatar)
Iran has advanced to the Asian Cup semifinals for the second time in a row. It brings their current winning streak to 18 games across all competitions. For Amir Ghalenoei, who led Iran during the 2007 Asian Cup when they lost to South Korea on penalties in the round of eight, Saturday represented a chance for atonement. Iran has many talented players who play for teams in the top European leagues. It is their heart that has propelled them to this point in the competition. They overcame a scare in the round of 16 and won their first tournament comeback on Saturday, defeating Iraq 2-1.
Team Melli has lost their last six Asian Cup semifinal matches; if Iran wins on Wednesday, they will go to their first Asian Cup final since they hosted and won the competition in 1976. Since 1988, when the match finished knotted at one Saudi Arabia won on penalties. The Iranians have never led in an Asian Cup semi-final. Iran has won six of their past seven meetings with Qatar and is unbeaten in their last ten games. They have also failed to concede in six of their previous seven matchups. Thanks to some excellent goalkeeping, the Qataris emerged victorious in an exciting quarterfinal match.d.
If they win on Wednesday, they would make history as the first host country to make it to the competition final since Australia did so in 2015 and only the third in the 2000s to make it that far. They are the first reigning champions to advance past the tournament’s quarterfinals since Japan in 2007 (fourth place), thanks to their thrilling victory on Saturday. The Maroons have won 12 straight Asian Cup games and haven’t dropped a knockout match since they defeated Japan 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2011 tournament.
Team News
Due to a cruciate ligament injury, Sadegh Moharrami will probably miss Iran’s match. Majid Hosseini is suffering from an ankle ailment. Mehdi Taremi was suspended for their quarterfinal matchup. In the final eight games, there were four substitutions made to the Iranian starting eleven: Mahdi Ghayedi, Taremi, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Ehsan Hajsafi, and Milad Mohammadi replaced Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Omid Ebrahimi, and Mohebi. During the weekend, Mohebi scored Iran’s equalizer against Japan, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored the winning goal from the penalty spot.
The main injury concern for Qatar going into this match is reserve goalkeeper Salah Zakaria, a 24-year-old who is struggling with an unidentified issue. Two new players who did not start their previous 16 matches were included in the Qatari starting 11 this weekend: Tarek Salman and Mahdi Ali Mukhtar took the places of Boualem Khoukhi and Bassam Al-Rawi. After Mukhtar and Almaz Ali missed their spot kicks, Meshaal Barsham saved three penalties from Uzbekistan. This gave Ro-Ro a chance to advance by scoring their game-winning fifth penalty.
Iran 0-1 Qatar
For more football previews, click here
