History Awaits the Victors of the AFC Asian Cup Final

Qatar vs Jordan

Just over a year ago, Qatar lost all three of their World Cup games on home soil, the worst showing of any host in World Cup history. With heavy hearts and a chip on their shoulders, they once again play host to another international tournament, only this time it’s the AFC Asian Cup.

They’ve stayed unbeaten in the tournament thus far, and they only need one more win to secure back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles and a successful redemption arc from their tepid performance in the World Cup.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch, the hunted have now become the hunters. Jordan are set to complete their historic Cinderella run, capture their first ever AFC title, and claim their place in the pantheon of Asian football legends.

So, what will it be? Will Qatar get vindication, or will Jordan make football history?

Talking Points

Jordan’s Cinderella run

Entering the tournament, most of the football world would’ve never thought that the 84th-ranked team in the FIFA rankings would feature in the finals, but lo and behold, Jordan have defied the odds.

It was a shaky start for the Jordanian outfit, winning just one game in the group stages and finishing third in Group E, but to be fair, they were clustered with the likes of Bahrain and Korea Republic.

They qualified for the knockout phases as one of the underdogs, the “I’m just happy to be here” clubs, who were taking everything one game at a time.

Jordan did take it one game at a time, and they proceeded to demolish every adversary, one game at a time. They started their run with a come-from-behind win against Group D winners Iraq, where Yazan Al-Arab and Nizar Al-Rashdan scored spitfire goals in added time to surpass Ayman Hussein and the rest of the Iraqi outfit and advance to the quarterfinals.

They then breezed through Tajikistan in the quarterfinal, thanks to Vakhdat Khanonov’s own goal. But the final boss came in the semis, where Son Heung-min and the rest of his star-studded cast await the blazing Jordanians.

Alas, the underdogs were about to face the mighty Korea Republic, but little did the fans at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium know that they were in for a wild ride.

Korea Republic were in complete control in the first half. The Taegeuk Warriors controlled most of the possessions and passes, but it was evident that they were lacking in the final third. Jordan pounced in the second half and produced the most inspiring AFC 2023 highlights by scoring two goals to stun Korea Republic.

Job’s not done though, as they face the defending champions on their home soil in the final match, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from the tournament thus far, it’s that no one can count Jordan out.

Can Akram Afif finish the job?

Coming into the culminating match, Qatar’s Akram Afif may be the best player in the upcoming final bout, or, dare I say, the entire tournament.

Afif, 27, has played a pivotal role in all of Qatar’s matches in the tournament thus far, as he’s been the viaduct where Carlos Queiroz runs his offence through.

The Qatari winger boasts a production of four goals and two assists in five games, and he could easily garner the most goals and assists once all the smoke clears.

“the best is yet to come” Afif stated after their thriller of a win against Iran in the semifinals, where he scored a goal and claimed one assist en route to their 3-2 win. Job’s definitely not done for the Qataris, as their bid for back-to-back championships is still up in the air, but Akram Afif’s performance all throughout the competition gives Qatar and their fans a ray of optimism.

History

Qatar have bossed their past head-to-heads against Jordan. Out of 23 matches, Qatar have the majority of the wins with 12, while Jordan have only won six but were able to tally a draw five times to boot.

In recent form, Jordan had a more dominant outing in the semifinal, where they pulled off the biggest stunner of the tournament by cruising past one of the tournament favourites, Korea Republic, with a 2-0 clean sheet win.

Meanwhile, Qatar had a tougher time in the semifinals, facing a tough Iran outfit that scrapped their way until the final whistle. It was a back-and-forth bout between Iran and Qatar, where they struck haymaker after haymaker. But ultimately, Qatar landed the finishing blow, courtesy of an Almoez Ali goal in minute 82.

Qatar have had a dominant campaign since the start of the tournament. They were undefeated in the group stages and continued to rally in the Round of 16 all the way to the semis. Meanwhile, Jordan had a tougher journey to the podium, as they finished third in Group E, where they garnered just one win. But they turned things around in the knockout phases, where they demolished every adversary that got in their way, including the Asian giants, Iraq, and the Korea Republic.

Betting Tip

The defending champions are the favourites, but it’s not as one-sided as you’d think. The AFC Asian Cup 2023 odds have Qatar at 2.05 to win, while Jordan are the slight underdogs at 3.31 with a price of 2.80 to tally a draw.

SBOTOP expects a tight and competitive match, as reflected in the odds prices. But as in any other sport or tournament, we have to give the utmost respect to the defending champions. And in this case, Qatar.

A price of 2.07 is undoubtedly a value bet, and it’s definitely something punters should consider when looking at this match’s main lines.

Another line to consider is Qatar’s Asian Handicap of -0.50 at 2.07. This goes hand in hand with the betting tip above, implying Qatar’s back-to-back AFC Asian titles.

Qatar have tallied six goals since the start of the knockout phase before sweeping the group stages with three clean sheet wins. This goes to show how potent Qatar’s offence has been, and putting a -0.50 handicap on them against Jordan wouldn’t be that much of an ask. And the price of 2.07 makes it even more exciting of a bet.

 

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