[ad_1]
It was not just about Jordan beating South Korea to reach a maiden AFC Asian Cup final.
It was the fact they completely outplayed their more-illustrious opponents who just happen to be two-time champions, traditional powerhouses of the continent, and ranked 23rd in the world.
While many would have been expecting a smash-and-grab job to be Jordan’s best chance of beating South Korea on Tuesday, this was anything but.
The hunger and endeavour were never going to be in doubt. That comes with the territory of being the underdogs.
But Jordan were far more fluid, composed, incisive and decisive, as they claimed a 2-0 win for the ages — courtesy of second-half goals by Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari — to keep their fairy tale alive.
Perhaps, in the knowledge that South Korea have made a habit of starting matches tepidly at this tournament, the game plan for Jordan was to bring the heat early on — and it worked a treat as they gained the ascendancy from the opening whistle.
Still, as much as the South Koreans have tended to allow their opponents to fire away first in recent outings, they had not shot themselves in the foot like they did on Tuesday.
Having already been wasteful in possession on numerous occasions in the first half, Park Yong-Woo produced another sloppy piece of play eight minutes after the restart – attempting a medium-range ground pass that just did not have enough pace.
It forced Kim Young-Gwon into having to wait for the ball to arrive.
In a blink of an eye, the ball was long gone as Al-Taamari nipped in to win possession before sliding through an incisive pass for Al-Naimat to run onto and finish over the onrushing Jo Hyeon-woo.
13 minutes later, Al-Taamari would cause damage once again — this time without the need for any assistance, as he embarked on a jinking run from the left to the edge of the box before expertly dispatching a shot past Jo’s despairing dive.
From that point on, Jordan never looked like relinquishing their place in Saturday’s final even in spite of South Korea’s newfound reputation of comeback kings.
In fact, it was a sign of how desperate things were getting for the Taegeuk Warriors when Cho Gue-Sung broke into the opposition area late on but — after having an avenue to goal blocked by some resolute last-ditch defending — attempted to win a penalty with one of the most ridiculous dives ever.
South Korea knew. They were up against — and about to be eliminated — by an opposition that was simply superior.
And, for the most part of their campaign, Jordan have indeed been the superior team in every game.
Yet, their reputation means it is unlikely they will be the favourites come the final regardless of whether it is three-time winners Iran or hosts and defending champions Qatar who they are up against.
Still, either of those two teams only have to look at Tuesday’s display to know that the Jordanians should not be taken lightly.
Having never made it past the quarterfinals previously, this tournament has already served up a dream run for Jordan.
If they play like they did against the South Koreans, there is no reason why there cannot still be one final chapter to be written — to complete the biggest fairy tale in Asian Cup history.
[ad_2]
