Qatar Iran beat Syria 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the round of 16, to set up an "early final" with Japan right from the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.
Japan and Iran are the two highest FIFA-ranked teams in Asia, ranked 17th and 21st respectively. But in the match a few hours earlier, Japan easily beat Bahrain 3-1, while Iran struggled to overcome Syria in the round of 16 despite playing better.
At Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on the evening of January 31, Iran completely controlled the first half, controlling the ball 73%. But despite the pressure, they could not easily overcome the dense red-shirted defense and an excellent Ahmad Madanieh in the Syrian goal.
The turning point for Iran came in the 32nd minute. Ehsan Hajsafi chipped the ball into the penalty area on the right wing for Mehdi Taremi to control, but was fouled by Aiham Ousou and pushed back. Immediately, referee Kim Jong-hyeok pointed to the penalty spot. Taremi shot into the bottom right corner, fooling the goalkeeper to open the scoring. This was also the third goal scored by this Porto striker at the 2023 Asian Cup.
Mehdi Taremi (No. 9) celebrates scoring the opening goal from the penalty spot for Iran against Syria. Photo: AFC
In the second half, there was no sign that Syria would attack as they were still being suffocated by Iran. In the 53rd minute, Sardar Azmoun broke the offside trap, then shot twice in a row but was blocked by the Syrian goalkeeper and defender. Right at the next corner, the AS Roma striker headed the ball but 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 was brought on to replace Mahmood Al Aswad. A minute later, he cleared offside from Omar Khrbin's high pass to run into the penalty area and was tackled by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. The referee spent three minutes consulting VAR and then watching the video before deciding to award Syria a penalty. At the 11m mark, Omar Khrbin skipped and shot into the bottom right corner, fooling the Iranian goalkeeper, bringing the match back to the starting line.
Omar Khrbin (No. 7) equalized for Syria against Iran on the penalty spot. Photo: AFC
In the 87th minute, Cuper continued to send Alaa Al Dali to replace Omar Khrbin. With his full body, Al Dali accelerated on the left wing in the first minute of extra time, forcing Taremi to block and receive a second yellow card. The Porto striker lay face down on the field and cried for a long time, then left the field in a disappointed mood.
Despite playing with an extra man, Syria failed to capitalize on the extra nine minutes and 30 minutes of extra time. Iran took the initiative to keep the ball firmly to drag Syria into a penalty shootout, where they had penalty specialist Alireza Beiranvand.
Referee Kim Jong-hyeok shows a red card to Mehdi Taremi who is lying on the ground after tackling No. 9 Alaa Al Dali. Photo: AFC
In the nerve-wracking penalty shootout, Fahd Youssef was the only Syrian player to miss, in the second, with a low shot into the left corner that was well-read by Beiranvand. While Taremi sobbed 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 the two corners, thereby helping Iran win 5-3.
This is the eighth consecutive Asian Cup that Iran has reached the quarterfinals since 1996, including three times they finished third overall, in 1996, 2004 and 2019. Iran will face Japan in the quarterfinals on February 3 and have the opportunity to avenge their 0-3 loss in the 2019 Asian Cup semi-finals. On the same day, hosts Qatar will face Uzbekistan.
The remaining two quarter-final pairs on February 2 are Tajikistan - Jordan and Australia - South Korea respectively.
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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