The AFC Asian Cup reaches its climax today as hosts and holders Qatar take on a Jordan side looking to make history in the competition.
After overcoming Iran – who beat pre-tournament favourites Japan in the quarter-finals - in the semi-finals in a 3-2 semi-final thriller, few would have predicted it would come down to a decider between Qatar and a Jordan team ranked 87th in the world. With much of the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium set to be behind the reigning champions, Qatar, and there being a great expectation of beat a Jordan side ranked 29 places below them by FIFA, under Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, the underdogs have repeatedly proved the doubters wrong.
In 27-year-old striker Akram Afif, Qatar have one of the players of the tournament, whose goal against Iran took his tally to five in six games. He ended the fairytale run of tournament debutants Tajikistan 1-0 in the quarter-finals, before handing out a lesson to tournament favourites, South Korea, in the semis.
Qatar’s Spanish coach, Tintin Marquez, said: "I'm very happy for Qatar, the people of Qatar, the fans and the players. We played a big game and the players didn't spare any effort.
“Now we have one final step left to defend our title." Jordan coach, Ammouta, said: "We must defend this shirt with everything we've got.
"We are growing more ambitious by the hour and must display the mindset of champions and show resilience and determination in every aspect of the game."
Qatar's danger men in attack are expected to be Afif and Ali, who have seven goals between them, but Jordan are equally potent with the pace and power of Yazan Al-Naimat and Mousa Al-Tamari. An intriguing AFC Asia Cup final at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, is anticipated as the tournament comes reaches its final showdown.