In the early morning of January 26, 2024, Beijing time, with the two matchups in Group F, the group stage of the Qatar Asian Cup was announced, and the knockout matches of this Asian Cup were also released. The specific quarter-final matchups are as follows:
Tajikistan vs UAE
Iraq vs Jordan
Australia vs Indonesia
Saudi Arabia vs South Korea
Iran vs Syria
Bahrain vs Japan
Qatar vs Palestine
Uzbekistan vs Thailand
Although the Chinese men's football team has been eliminated, they have missed the round of 16 early. South Korea's initiative to "admit intimidation" in the third round of the group stage also led to the drama of "Japan and South Korea competing for hegemony", and it failed to be staged in the quarterfinals. But in these 8 knockout matchups, there are still some interesting games. One of the most eye-catching is Saudi Arabia's match against South Korea.
South Korea managed to avoid Japan, the strongest team in Asia, through a 3-3 draw with Malaysia. However, the final ranking of the second place in Group E still allowed the "Taiji Tigers" to meet Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. Judging from the performance of the group stage, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are basically half a catty, and neither of them showed dominance in their respective three group games.
When it comes to comparing the players of the two teams, South Korea is the dominant side. Although there are also Asian players such as Dawasari, Gharib and Al-Shehri in the Saudi team, it is difficult for these players to play the main role in their respective clubs due to the golden yuan of the Saudi league. Without enough league appearances to support, the form of these Saudi internationals is naturally difficult to guarantee. In contrast, the situation of the players of the South Korean team is naturally much better.
In the last 6 previous meetings between the two sides, the South Korean team has an overwhelming advantage with 3 wins and 3 draws, maintaining a 17-year unbeaten streak against Saudi Arabia. But South Korea also need to beware of possible "off-the-board moves" in the knockout rounds. As we all know, there has been a clear shift of power in the AFC to the west, and Saudi Arabia is the pillar of West Asian football. I believe that in Asia, South Korea knows best what role referees can play.
Perhaps no one could have imagined before the start of this Asian Cup that Tajikistan, which entered the main tournament for the first time, could beat the Chinese men's football team and the Lebanese men's football team and enter the top 16 of the Asian Cup. In the quarterfinals, Tajikistan will face West Asian powerhouse the United Arab Emirates. The two teams have only met twice in their history in friendlies. Although the UAE are unbeaten with a record of 1 win and 1 draw, the gap between the two games is not huge.
In the UAE's 3-2 win over Tajikistan in 2020, the latter held the lead at half-time. Tajikistan used only three shots on goal to break through the UAE twice. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, the UAE managed to create just one shot on target and were held to a 0-0 draw by Tajikistan. It can be said that these two games can give confidence to the Tajikistan team.
Moreover, judging from the situation in the past year, Tajikistan, which has reaped the fruits of the youth team, is on an upward trend. The UAE, on the other hand, is clearly on a downward slope. This is evident from last year's Gulf Cup and the three group games of this Asian Cup. Therefore, this one-eighth final will most likely become the starting point for Tajikistan to soar into the sky in the knockout round.