Jordan’s spectacular underdog performance in the AFC Asian Cup final against hosts Qatar is unprecedented

Even in a competition with such a rich history of upsets, few would have ever imagined that on Sunday afternoon, ranked 74th in the world, would come a country that had never been to a World Cup, that had never gone beyond the quarter-finals in any competition Was. Having qualified for the first time in 2004, they could find themselves 90 minutes away from glory. In the same stadium where Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi fought 14 months ago, Musa Al-Tamari and Akram Afif will face off to win the Asian Cup.

Although defending champions Qatar were not ranked among the top favorites going into the tournament on home soil, their return trip to the Lusail Stadium was hardly beyond the realms of imagination. However, many people may have said the same about Jordan before he even kicked the ball.

Since Al-Tamari was the only player to have played football in Europe, head coach Hussein Ammouta was hardly burdened with star power. Almost half of the $15 million worth of transfermarkt spots on Jordan come from the Montpellier playmaker. There were certainly cheaper teams in the field, but teams like South Korea blew them out of the water in financial terms. Not a penny of it appeared on the field, however, as Jurgen Klinsmann’s team took a fairly routine cavalcade of shots in their group stage meeting, where the Koreans needed a penalty from Yassan Abu Al-Arab in extra time to earn a point. An own goal was needed. ,

By the time the two parties met again, Jordan’s confidence had increased. Goals in the 95th and 97th minutes cost Iraq a place in the quarterfinals, but Ammouta really cemented his position in the quarterfinal win over Tajikistan, his last five goals giving the tournament debutant just two shots on target Kept on hold till.

They would look to perform even better in the rematch with South Korea, who failed to test Yazid Aboulaila once in a comprehensive defensive display that began at the top of the pitch, with Yazan Al-Naimat and Al-Tamari finding the goals. That represent the value of applying pressure. Units. “The tactical discipline taught by our head coach was important,” Al-Tamari said. “They instilled confidence in us not to respect our opponents too much, while not giving them space to attack. Our spirit, patience and most importantly the fans, who supported us from beginning to end, played a vital role in our success. Played a role. On the field, we were a team and off the field, we were a family.”

Jordan is the underdog against the 2019 champions, but not by the odds on Tuesday night. After all, The Knights started their preparations for the tournament with a win over their hosts in Doha last month.

“Qatar are the defending champions and are playing on their home ground, making them a strong opponent,” Ammouta said. “It is not easy to play against them. It is not easy to achieve what they have achieved. We played a friendly match and it was challenging to ensure a win against Qatar. Despite apprehensions of difficulty, we all aimed to cross the finish line. “We are united in success. Our goal is to exceed expectations.”

They have already done this. Beating the hosts and holders on home soil would only be a repeat of the heroics of this unlikely contender.

How to watch and odds

• date: Saturday, February 10 | Time: 10am ET
• Place: Lusail Iconic Stadium – Lusail, Qatar
• Watch: paramount+ , CBS Sports Golazo Network
• odds: Qatar +240; Draw +220; Jordan +100