DOHA: The Asian Cup opens on Friday (tomorrow), with defending champions Qatar hosting, Japan favourites, and South Korea’s Son Heung-min vying for the trophy for the first time since 1964.
The 24 teams from Australia to Palestine will compete for regional glory over the next four weeks, culminating in the final on February 10 at the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium. It will take something remarkable to top the previous major game at Lusail, the World Cup final 13 months ago, when an Argentina team led by Lionel Messi upset France on penalties.
The 18th Asian Cup was meant to be hosted in China last summer, but it was moved to World Cup host Qatar because to China’s Covid-19 restrictions. Qatar will primarily use stadiums that have hosted World Cup matches, with Stadium 974, a temporary arena composed partially of shipping containers, being an exception.
In the run-up to the World Cup, the Gulf state faced heavy scrutiny for its human rights record and treatment of migrant labor. Rights groups argue that little has changed since, which Qatar denies.
There was no comparable outcry prior of the Asian Cup. Qatar received praise for their World Cup organisation, but the team underperformed on the field, with three consecutive defeats, the poorest performance of any World Cup host.
That lingering anguish will inspire them to defend their Asian title, although Carlos Queiroz was ousted as coach only last month, leaving Tintin Marquez little time to prepare. “I know the players, I know my mentality, and I know… my idea for playing,” said the Spaniard, who spent six years coaching Qatari club Al Wakrah before taking over the national squad.
Qatar opens the tournament against Lebanon at Lusail Stadium. There are six groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the round of 16, as well as the four best third-place teams.
Japan, which was defeated 3-1 by Qatar in the 2019 Asian Cup final in the UAE, appears to be the team to beat, having won four titles in total. Japan has pleasant memories of Qatar, when they upset Germany and Spain in the World Cup group stage before falling on penalties to Croatia in the round of 16.
Since then, Hajime Moriyasu’s club has had a successful year, losing only once in 12 matches and winning 4-1 in a friendly in Germany. Moriyasu named Kaoru Mitoma to his team despite the Brighton winger’s ankle issue, and stated that Japan is aiming to erase the “frustration” of their 2019 final defeat.
South Korea, Iran, Australia, and Saudi Arabia — all of which competed in the 2022 World Cup and are former Asian champions — are also worth watching. South Korea has the best player in Asia and a world-class talent in Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son, who is back enjoying his football under Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
