Jordan and Qatar lock horns at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail on Saturday in the final of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, as history beckons for both sides.
For the first time in their history, Jordan have reached the showpiece clash of the competition. Against all the odds, the Chivalrous Ones beat mighty South Korea 2-0 in the semi-finals to get to this title match.
Yazan Al-Naimat broke the deadlock for the Middle Eastern side in the 53rd minute before Musa Al-Taamari doubled their advantage 13 minutes later. Korea, led by stellar names such as Heung-min Son and Lee Kang-in, were uncharacteristically wayward in attack, failing to muster a single shot on target from eight attempts.
Jordan were the superior side throughout the match and emerged as the deserved winners. If they win on Saturday, Hussein Ammouta’s side will become just the 10th nation in Asia Cup history to win the title.
On the other hand, defending champions Qatar are just one game away from successfully defending their crown. Only Iran (1976), Saudi Arabia (1988) and Japan (2004) have managed to accomplish that feat in the past.
The Maroons overcame the resilient Iran in a topsy-turvy semi-final encounter. Team Melli led after only four minutes, but the hosts fought back to go 2-1 up. Alireza Jahanbakhsh equalized from the penalty spot for Iran but Ali Almoez struck the winner for Qatar with just eight minutes of normal time left on the clock.
Jordan vs Qatar Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 23 previous clashes between the sides, with Jordan winning six times over Qatar and losing on 12 occasions.
- Jordan’s last win over Qatar came in August 2008, sealing a 3-0 win at the West Asian Football Federation Championship.
- Qatar have beaten Jordan in their last two clashes: 2-0 in January 2014 and 2-0 in December 2018.
- Qatar are unbeaten against Jordan in four games.
- After keeping a clean sheet in all three of their group matches, Qatar have conceded at least once in all three of their knockout matches.
Jordan vs Qatar Prediction
It’s the finals, so we do not expect plenty of goalmouth action, but it could be a tense clash nonetheless, with both sides taking every step carefully. Jordan are in uncharted territory, since it’s their first major final in history, but they have shown incredible fighting spirit in the knockout stages to get here.
Qatar have bulldozed their way to this stage, winning five of six games at the tournament. The prolific attacking duo of Ali Almoez and Akram Afif will be relied upon to produce the goods here, and they won’t disappoint.
The defending champions are expected to retain their title.
Prediction: Jordan 1-2 Qatar
Jordan vs Qatar Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Qatar to win
Tip 2 – Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes
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