Iran will face Japan in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Qatar and Iran beat Syria 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the round of 16, creating an "early final" against Japan in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Japan and Iran are the two highest-ranked teams in Asia according to FIFA rankings, at 17th and 21st respectively. However, in the matches played just hours earlier, Japan easily defeated Bahrain 3-1, while Iran struggled to overcome Syria in the round of 16 despite being the stronger team.

At the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on January 31st, Iran completely dominated the first half, controlling possession 73%. However, despite their pressure, they found it difficult to break through Syria's dense red-shirted defense and an excellent Ahmad Madanieh in goal.

The turning point for Iran came in the 32nd minute. Ehsan Hajsafi chipped the ball into the penalty area from the right wing for Mehdi Taremi to control, but he was fouled from behind by Aiham Ousou. Referee Kim Jong-hyeok immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Taremi shot into the bottom right corner, deceiving the goalkeeper to open the scoring. This was also the third goal the Porto striker had scored at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Mehdi Taremi (number 9) celebrates his opening penalty goal for Iran against Syria. Photo: AFC

In the second half, there were no signs that Syria would mount an attack as they continued to be relentlessly pressured by Iran. In the 53rd minute, Sardar Azmoun broke the offside trap and took two consecutive shots, but they were blocked by the Syrian goalkeeper and defender. Immediately after the corner kick, the AS Roma striker headed the ball but it was blocked by Abdul Rahman Weiss right on the goal line.

Syria only found a way out after two substitutions by coach Hector Cuper. In the 58th minute, Pablo Sabbag came on for Mahmood Al Aswad. A minute later, he beat the offside trap from a lofted through ball by Omar Khrbin to burst into the penalty area and was tackled by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. The referee took three minutes to consult VAR and then reviewed the video before deciding to award Syria a penalty. From the penalty spot, Omar Khrbin skipped and shot into the bottom right corner, deceiving the Iranian goalkeeper and bringing the game back to a tie.

Omar Khrbin (number 7) equalizes for Syria against Iran from the penalty spot. Photo: AFC

In the 87th minute, Cuper brought on Alaa Al Dali to replace Omar Khrbin. In excellent form, Al Dali made a burst of speed down the left wing in the first minute of added time, forcing Taremi to tackle him and receive a second yellow card. The Porto striker lay face down on the pitch, weeping for a long time before leaving the field in disappointment.

Despite playing with a man advantage, Syria failed to capitalize on the remaining nine minutes of added time and the 30 minutes of extra time to score another goal. Iran proactively controlled possession to force Syria into a penalty shootout, where they possessed penalty-saving specialist Alireza Beiranvand.

Referee Kim Jong-hyeok showed a red card to Mehdi Taremi, who was lying on the ground, after a tackle on number 9 Alaa Al Dali. Photo: AFC

In the tense penalty shootout, Fahd Youssef was the only Syrian player to miss, in the second round, with a low shot to the left corner that was saved by Beiranvand. While Taremi wept uncontrollably in the stands under the pressure, his five teammates – Karim Ansarifard, Ramin Razaeian, Omid Ebrahimi, Mehdi Torabi, and Ehsan Hajsafi – successfully converted all five penalties with powerful shots into both corners, giving Iran a 5-3 victory.

This marks Iran's eighth consecutive quarter-final appearance in the Asian Cup since 1996, including three third-place finishes in 1996, 2004, and 2019. Iran will face Japan in the quarter-finals on February 3rd and have a chance to avenge their 0-3 defeat in the 2019 Asian Cup semi-final. On the same day, hosts Qatar will play Uzbekistan.

The remaining two quarter-final matches on February 2nd are Tajikistan – Jordan and Australia – South Korea.

Starting lineup

Iran : Alireza Beiranvand, Ramin Razaeian, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Saman Ghoddos, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Taremi, Mehdi Ghayedi, Sardar Azmoun

Syria : Ahmad Madanieh, Moayad Al Ajan, Thaer Krouma, Aiham Ousou, Abdul Rahman Weiss, Ammar Ramadan, Ezequiel Ham, Jalil Elias, Mahmood Al Aswad, Ibrahim Hesar, Omar Khrbin.

Hieu Luong

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