An Asian Cup that began with stars from across Europe's top leagues has delivered an unexpected final. (Streaming | More Football News)
On Saturday, at the spectacular Lusail Stadium, hoܫst and defending champion Qatar will play Jordan, with neither team featuring players of wide renown.
Prꩲemier League players like Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Wataru Endo (Liverpool) have departed. Likewise Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in and Roma's on-loan forward Sardar Azmoun.
It's the same story with notable coaches Roberto Mancini (Saudi A💖rabia) and South Korea's Jurgen Klinsmann in a tournament that has cut big names down to siz🐲e.
“The tournament shows football is evolving and developing,” Qatar coach Marquez Lopez said. “Every day there are more demands on Asian football. The upcoming generation can play beautifuꦗl football.”
Four-time champion Japan was the pre-tournament favourite,🥂 with South Korea and Australia also tipped as potential winners.
Despite being the defending champion, Qata☂r was not among the to🥂p picks to triumph in its own country.
Perhaps that was ඣbecause of memories of the World Cup when it was eliminated from its own tournament after three straight defeats in the group stage.
Jus𒀰t over a year on and it feels like a very different team.
“A month before the tournament no one expected us to reach the final. No one thought we would be delivering this performance,” Qatar captain Hassan Al-Haydos said. “Being here. Sitting h𒁃ere, talkﷺing here. This is my response. I'm playing in the final.”
While the quality of the Asian Cup cannot rival the World Cup, the improvement in Qatar is still unexpected. Marquez's team has outperformed Japan, South Korea and Australia, which all advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup. It has played with an att﷽acking freedom that was not evident when it hosted soccer's biggest tournament.
While that could partly be put down to Lopez, who was only hired in December, former coach Felix Sanchez had won the previou𝓰s editio𓆏n of the Asian Cup before the World Cup disappointment.
Q🍎atar's Akram Afif has arguably been the standout player of the Asia𒁃n Cup.
He spoke earlier in the tournament of his wish to return to Europe after failing to make an impact in spells in Spain and Belgium before moving to Al Sadd in his homeland. He has likely improved his chances with five goals and some thrilling performances to ℱhelp carry his ♛country to the final.
Of the two finalists, Jordan is the only team to include a player currently playi🔯ng in Europe — Montpellier's Mousa Tamari. All of Qatar's players are home-based🌳.
Despite this, Jordan coach Husseinཧ Ammouta is encouraged by the standard of players on d꧒isplay in the tournament.
“Asian football is developing so much and producing high qu𝐆ality players wanted by big European teams,” he said. “Every country would like those good players who can contribute to the national team and find their way to big European leagues.”
Jordan beat South Korea in the semifinals and is playing in its first Asian C🔴up final, having never previously advanced beyond the quarterfinals.
Qatar won the trophy for the first time in 2019 and is one game aꦿway from back-to-back titles.
The su🅺ccess of both teams points to a triumph of the collec🎐tive over individual star appeal.
“I've said more than once the results of th♎e team are because of a 💦collaboration. Everyone is very committed and disciplined,” Ammouta said.
Having taken Qatar to👍 the brink of another Asian Cup title, Spanish coach Lopez has🌃 urged his team to make one final push.
“In Spain, we have a saying that the second place is the first loser,” he said. “We want to be the best in꧒ the Asian continent.”
