Akram Afif
Will Iran finally clear semi-final hurdle?
It’s now more than 47 years since Iran won the 1976 AFC Asian Cup to lift the title for a third successive time after edging Kuwait 1-0 in the final in Tehran. Back then, Team Melli were undeniably the continent’s dominant force but, despite regularly going deep into the competition, they have yet to appear in another final since.
The Iranians have lost their last six AFC Asian Cup semi-finals, three of which have been on penalties, with the last defeat coming in 2019 against Japan in the United Arab Emirates. However, after a brilliant second-half performance against the Samurai Blue on Saturday, when they came from behind to win 2-1 following a late Alireza Jahanbakhsh penalty, Iran return to yet another semi-final.
Up next, Amir Ghalenoei’s side go up against defending champions Qatar as they bid to end their long wait to return to the final. Iran have won their past six meetings against the Maroons in all competitions, including a 4-0 win in October last year, but to make that seven they will have to clear a barrier which has proven to be their stumbling block for almost five decades.
How will Iran stop Afif?
A record nine goals in Qatar’s triumphant 2019 edition saw Almoez Ali grab many of the headlines, but there’s little doubt who the star of the 2023 edition has been so far: Akram Afif, who himself produced a whopping 10 assists five years ago and was equally important in the Maroons securing their first AFC Asian Cup crown.
While the goals have dried up for Ali since his opening-day strike against Lebanon, Afif has been firing on all cylinders. The Al Sadd SC forward has found the back of the net four times, assisted two goals and created the second-highest number of chances (13) behind Korea’s Lee Kang-in during his five games as he continues to inspire the defending champions’ bid to reach back-to-back finals.
Iran head coach Ghalenoei must look to stop Qatar’s star man, with defensive midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi potentially key in terms of denying him space. Team Melli performed admirably in keeping Japan’s creative players quiet, most notably Takefusa Kubo, in the quarter-finals, but with Afif in such red-hot form, the task is likely to be just as hard in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Taremi looks to make up for missed opportunity
Without their main goalscorer Mehdi Taremi, Iran still managed to overcome Japan in a morale-boosting quarter-final victory which will surely see them go into the semi-finals full of belief. Having served his suspension, the striker is set to return to the starting line-up for Team Melli’s last-four encounter against Qatar.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi salutes supporters after the Group C match against the UAE.
The match-up could have extra significance for Taremi, who missed the 2019 semi-final against Japan due to suspension. Iran subsequently crashed out following a 3-0 loss in which they failed to significantly test the Japanese defence as their tournament ended in a comprehensive defeat and Taremi was left to rue his quarter-final booking against China PR.
With three goals in his past two appearances, Taremi is Iran’s top scorer, while he also has nine goals in his past 11 international appearances. Having missed out on the opportunity to try and fire Iran into the final five years ago, the FC Porto frontman is sure to be hugely motivated to make amends this time round.
