The All-Arab Finals’ Unwanted Record in Asian Cup History

 

The all-Arab finals appear to have an unwanted record in Asian Cup history when compared to those involving teams from other regions.

The 2023 Asian Cup, which is contested during the winter transfer window, is coming to an end with surprising results in the last four. The favourites, such as Saudi Arabia and Japan, were eliminated at the earlier stage, whereas Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea went anticlimactic in the semifinal after their heroic campaign at the knockout stage. They slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Jordan, which sealed the spot in their first ever Asian Cup final.

Jordan will be taking on the reigning champions, Qatar, at the summit. The host earned the spot after snatching a 3-2 win over Iran. Almoez Ali and Co. are bound to be the favourites to defend the title, but Jordan has the potential to stun them in front of their own fans. It is set to be the fourth all-Arab final in the history of the Asian Cup.

Unfortunately, such finals have their own unwanted record. Their games tend to end with a low score. None of the previous three meetings resulted in more than one goal at the summit, let alone a goal galore. One of them even ended in a stalemate. It will be interesting to see if such a trend carries on in this year’s final. Here are the three previous all-Arab finals in the Asian Cup.

Iran vs Kuwait (The 1976 Final)

The Asian Cup saw the first all-Arab final in the 1976 edition. Some may not consider it an all-Arab clash due to Iran's Persian blood. Yet, both are from the Middle East and part of Western Asia, which is generally within Arabian peninsula. Therefore, it can still be justified.

Iran was the host and the powerhouse in Asian football back then. Team Melli had lifted the trophy twice consecutively in the previous editions. They started off their campaign well by leading the group in the preliminary round. In the semifinals, Ali Parvin and Co. thumped China 2-0. In the summit, they faced off against Kuwait, who had impressive form at the group stage, before snatching a narrow 3-2 win over Iraq in the last four.

The final was held at Aryamehr Stadium in Tehran. Iran was forced to strive to break the deadlock throughout the game. They finally managed to score after Ali Parvin’s freekick found the back of the net. It turned out to be the only goal of the game, and Team Melli sealed the triumphant victory in front of the 112,000 spectators in the stadium.

Saudi Arabia vs UAE (The 1996 Final)

It was the second all-Arab final. Saudi Arabia and the host UAE were squaring off at the summit. The Green Falcons struggled to reach the summit, as they only finished second at the group stage below Ali Daei’s Iran. Eventually, they did not impress their fans on their road to the final. Sami Al-Jaber and Co. had to strive to beat the hard-fought China in a 4-3 win dramatically and relied on penalties to see off Iran in the semifinal.

UAE, on the other hand, topped the group in the preliminary round with two wins and a draw in hand. Tomislav Ivic’s side then eased past Iraq and Kuwait with a narrow 1-0 win each at the knockout stage. The host was aiming for their first ever silverware in Asian Cup.

The match between Saudi Arabia and the UAE was quite even. Both sides made attempts to make a breakthrough, but neither succeeded. The three-time Asian champions were forced to hold on at the backline as Adnan Al Talyani and Co. knocked on the doors but failed to open the scoring. Most of their shots went wide or off the post instead. Eventually, they shared spoils, and the game had to be decided on penalties. Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al Deayea eventually became the key figure in Saudi Arabia’s 4-2 win as he denied one clear chance from the host and saved one penalty in the shootout.

Iraq vs Saudi Arabia (The 2007 Final)

The last all-Arab final was held in Jakarta. The dark horse Iraq met the favourite Saudi Arabia in the summit. Iraq was seen as a surprise package since the team was forced to prepare themselves abroad with limited facilities before the competition due to the war-torn nation at that time.

Jorvan Ferreira’s side began their campaign with average form at the group stage, but they secured a notable 3-1 victory over Australia, which helped them finish at the top of the table. At the knockout stage, they went through the final after beating Vietnam 2-0 and South Korea on penalties without conceding a single goal.

The Green Falcons, on the other hand, started off well without difficulties in the preliminary round but had to struggle to eliminate Uzbekistan 2-1 and Japan 3-2, respectively, at the knockout stage. Their defensive frailties seemed to be rather worrying compared to Iraqis.

The final eventually became a showdown for both sides’ defenses. Iraq created more opportunities but lacked clinical finishes, whereas Yasser Al-Qahtani and Co. mainly shot wide. Both goalies did make one or two important saves before Younes Mahmoud’s header found the back of the net. The skipper, who also helped Iraq reach the semifinals of the 2004 Summer Olympics by beating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the process, was named the best player in the tournament. It was Iraq’s first and only title in a major international competition.