Up to now, the 2019 Asian Cup has left many memorable moments, not only the surprise of the Vietnamese team when reaching the quarter-finals but also from other teams.
These are two very new names in the semi-finals, Qatar and the host team United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is worth mentioning that these two teams not only performed a solid style of play but also played very well and certainly one of them will be present in the final match.
Above all, West Asian football has 3 teams present in the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup. Going back in time, it was not until 1996 that West Asia showed such dominance when Saudi Arabia won the Asian Cup, while the UAE reached the final. That year, even all 4 teams in the semi-finals came from West Asia, with the remaining 2 representatives being Iran and Kuwait.
Therefore, for Iran, the UAE and Qatar, the chance for West Asia to win the Asian Cup this year is very high.
Iran as expected
Among the title contenders, Iran are perhaps the only team that has not disappointed as they have shown their position since the group stage matches, to the 1/8 and quarter-finals.
Iran's strength lies in both attack and defense, to explain why they could easily crush China 3-0 in the quarter-finals and not have conceded a single goal.
And in Carlos Queiroz, they have an experienced coach who can help them go far in the Asian Cup.
Achievements: Iran 5-0 Yemen, Vietnam 0-2 Iran, Iran 0-0 Iraq, Iran 2-0 Oman, China 0-3 Iran.
Qatar for the 2022 World Cup
For Qatar, the journey to the semi-finals is relatively smooth, at least on paper. They have not conceded a single goal and have been very effective in attack.
At Almoez Ali, the host country of the 2022 World Cup, has found a real striker. Meanwhile, Bassam Al-Rawi and tarek Salman were very solid in defence. In general, Qatar has a stable and even squad.
Achievements: Qatar 2-0 Lebanon, North Korea 0-6 Qatar, Saudi Arabia 0-2 Qatar, Qatar 1-0 Iraq, South Korea 0-1 Qatar
UAE and the shock
Certainly, the biggest shock of the 2019 Asian Cup came from the name UAE. No one thought the home team could go so far, especially with the difficult way they started the tournament.
However, the UAE has made steady progress, most impressive of which is the performance against defending champion Australia in the quarter-finals.
It seems that the experience of players like Ali Mabkhout and Ismail Matar is very important, not to mention that they have the home advantage.
Achievements: UAE 1-1 Bahrain, India 0-2 UAE, UAE 1-1 Thailand, UAE 3-2 Kyrgyz, UAE 1-0 Australia
