Complete the fairy tale

The 2023 Asian Cup final was a showdown between Jordan and Qatar. The tournament's "dark horse" team faced the defending champions, who were also the hosts. This was the first time in Asian Cup history that the final was completely devoid of any "big teams" such as Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Australia.

Jordan vs Qatar Prediction

Jordan pulled off the biggest surprise at the 2023 Asian Cup. Prior to 2024, the West Asian team had never won a knockout match in the Asian Cup. This time, they successively overcame Iraq, Tajikistan, and South Korea to reach the Asian Cup final for the first time in their history.

The Jordan national team caused a surprise at the 2023 Asian Cup.

The image of the Jordan national team at the 2023 Asian Cup is reminiscent of Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. Coach Hussein Ammouta's team defeated South Korea in a match where their possession rate was only 30%, but no one can say Jordan was inferior to their powerful opponent. It was the team ranked 87th in the world that played better, created more opportunities, and deservedly earned their place in the final.

Jordan's fairytale story at the 2023 Asian Cup only lacks a happy ending in the final. After what they have shown throughout the tournament, coach Ammouta's team has every right to be confident of winning the championship.

Jordan's opponent in the final was Qatar. Although the host nation was the defending champion, their appearance in the final for the second consecutive time was a surprise. After a series of tough matches and victories that weren't entirely convincing, Qatar dispelled doubts by overcoming their toughest obstacle, Iran, in the semi-final.

The inspiration behind Qatar's play is Akram Afif. The striker is a key player with a total of 5 goals. However, in the final, Qatar needs more than just individual brilliance to keep the trophy at home.

Jordan vs Qatar form

Jordan won only one match in the group stage (beating Malaysia 4-0) before drawing with South Korea and losing to Bahrain. Prior to that, they had a streak of nine consecutive matches with only one win. Interestingly, Jordan's only victory in the six months leading up to the 2023 Asian Cup was a friendly against Qatar.

That was also Qatar's only defeat in their last 10 consecutive matches (the rest were 6 wins).

Predicted lineups for Jordan vs Qatar

Jordan squad prediction: Yazeed Abu Laila, Abdallah Nasib, Yazan Al-Arab, Bara' Marie, Ehsan Haddad, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Noor Al-Rawabdeh, Mohammad Abu Hashish, Mousa Al-Tamari, Mahmoud Al-Mardi, Salem Yazan Al-Naimat.t

Qatar squad prediction: Meshaal Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Mohammed Waad, Lucas Mendes, Almoez Ali, Tarek Salman, Jassem Gaber, Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Ali Asad, Ahmed Fathi.

Predicted score: Jordan 1-0 Qatar

Minh Anh

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