Asian Cup 1/8 finals highlights: Saudi Arabia and South Korea meet in a narrow way, and the "battle of spoilers" is equally exciting

The group stage of the Asian Cup is all over, and there are still 16 of the 24 teams left.

Although Japan and South Korea did not meet in advance, there was still no shortage of blockbuster showdowns in the 1/8 finals.

The Asian Cup 1/8 finals are as follows:

January 28 19:30 Australia vs Indonesia

January 29 00:00 Tajikistan vs United Arab Emirates

January 29, 19:30 Iraq vs Jordan

January 30 00:00 Qatar vs Palestine

January 30 19:30 Uzbekistan vs Thailand

January 31 00:00 Saudi Arabia vs South Korea

January 31 19:30 Bahrain vs Japan

01 February, 00:00 Iran vs Syria

Which of these 8 games would you like to watch the most?

Saudi Arabia and South Korea, meet on a narrow road -

For Chinese fans, if you choose only one of these 8 games to watch, which one should you choose?

Saudi Arabia vs South Korea must be the answer in the hearts of many fans.

When the Japanese team unexpectedly lost to Iraq, it was decided that it would be difficult for the South Korean team in Group E to avoid the strong confrontation in the 1/8 finals.

South Korea easily defeated Bahrain 3-1 in the first round, but suffered a series of "hard-fought battles" in the next two rounds, drawing with Jordan and Malaysia successively.

After such a controversial operation, the South Korean team finally did not have to face Japan in the 1/8 finals.

But standing in front of them is another strong team that aims to win the championship - Saudi Arabia.

In terms of card strength, the South Korean team is naturally better than the Saudi team.

On the Korean team's side, Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Gang-in, and Hwang Hee-chan are playing well in the five major leagues, and Lee Jae-seong, Hwang In-beom, Cho Gyu-sung and others are also gaining a foothold in Europe.

On the other hand, the Saudi team, where all the players play in the Saudi domestic league, and the highest value in the team, Firas Buraikan (4 million euros), will not even be in the top five if it is placed in the South Korean team.

From this point of view, the South Korean team does have a greater chance of winning against Saudi Arabia.

However, some netizens put forward different opinions - is it really better to touch Saudi Arabia than Japan?

On the face of it, it is. But behind this, there are also some details worth noting.

The referee factor is the first thing that comes to mind for many people.

This is in West Asia, and Saudi Arabia is the biggest "local tyrant" in West Asia, will they not engage in "off-market moves"?

Even putting aside the referees, the strength of the Saudi team itself should not be underestimated.

The Saudi team does not have players in Europe, and it is not entirely because of the quality of the players.

Saudi players play in the domestic league, which perfectly fits the characteristics of "more money and less things close to home".

Looking carefully at the lineup of the Saudi team, most of them are from Riyadh Crescent and Riyadh Victory, and teams such as Jeddah United and Jeddah Nationals have also contributed a small number of players.

Although these players have not played in Europe, they usually play with world-class players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Mahrez, and have also experienced major events such as the World Cup and the Club World Cup.

When you really get on the field, you don't necessarily have to be afraid of the European players of the South Korean team.

The duel between South Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Saudi Arabia coach Roberto Mancini is also a highlight of the game.

In terms of fame, the two are about the same, and in terms of coaching level, Mancini should be stronger.

It is worth noting that this is still a confrontation between German and Italian coaches, and the metaphysical factor is in favor of Saudi Arabia.

To summarize briefly - the South Korean team has a clear lineup advantage and should be the stronger side. However, Saudi Arabia may have a lot of advantages in terms of adapting to the venue, referee blowing, coach command, team tacit understanding, etc.

In this strong dialogue, it is difficult to predict the outcome or defeat.

Saudi Arabia and South Korea are both top teams in Asia, but it has been a long time since the two teams met in the World Cup or the Asian Cup.

This narrow encounter is just the right time for us to see what kind of sparks will collide between two Asian powerhouses with very different styles!

The battle of the spoilers is also very exciting-

In addition to Saudi Arabia vs South Korea, which of the 1/8 finals is particularly worth watching?

Some fans may like to watch strong teams or stars, and of course the games of Japan, Iran, Australia and other teams are more suitable for them.

But what I want to recommend is Iraq vs Jordan.

Iraq defeated Japan in the group stage. While they have gained a favorable position for themselves, they have also disrupted the plans of Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Jordan drew with South Korea in the group stage. South Korea's 3-3 draw with Malaysia is indeed too exaggerated, but Jordan's ability to draw with South Korea is largely due to its own strength.

In other words, if Jordan hadn't played well against South Korea, South Korea wouldn't have had a chance to win the group.

Iraq and Jordan are arguably the two biggest spoilers in the group stage.

Iraq is ranked 63rd in the world and Jordan is ranked 87th in the world, and the gap between the two teams is the smallest of the eight matchups.

Iraqi centre-forward Ayman Hussein has scored five goals and is currently the top scorer in the charts.

In addition, Youssef Amin, who has been selected for the German national youth team, and Zidane Iqbal, who debuted from Manchester United, are also worth paying attention to.

Jordan's top star, Moussa Tamari, who is worth €6 million, has made 16 appearances (15 starts) for Ligue 1 side Montpellier this season, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

No blows, no black, these two teams are not much different from the national football team in terms of card strength and world ranking.

Now that the national football team is facing Japan and South Korea, many fans dare not imagine a draw or a win, but Iraq and Jordan have done it.

So from the perspective of learning experience, this game is also worth our attention.

In the remaining six games, the strength and weakness are clear -

Objectively speaking, except for the two mentioned above, the suspense of the remaining 6 1/8 finals is not too big.

Australia vs Indonesia

This match doesn't have to be analysed at all, put these two names together and the results are obvious.

Indonesia can beat Vietnam, which is admirable.

But at the same time, it must be admitted that if Kyrgyzstan and Oman were not "wiped out", Indonesia's strength should not have appeared in the knockout round at all.

Tajikistan vs UAE

Tajikistan drew with the Chinese team, defeated Lebanon, and won the second place in the group by their own efforts, which is worthy of recognition.

The UAE's 1-1 draw with Palestine in the group stage felt like a drop in points, but it should be noted that they were forced to draw because they received an early red card.

If the UAE plays normally, there should not be much of a problem in taking Tajikistan.

Qatar vs Palestine

The host's road to defending the title is basically impossible to end at the feet of Palestine.

Uzbekistan vs Thailand

Thailand was able to draw with Saudi Arabia, mainly because Saudi Arabia did not want to win.

If you play normally, Uzbekistan has a very good chance of winning.

Bahrain vs Japan and Iran vs Syria are also difficult to have surprises.

Since the outcome of these games is not very suspenseful, does that mean that these games are not worth watching?

Of course not.

The Japanese team did not play strongly in the group stage, and many players in Europe have not yet played their due role, and the high-profile Mikasa is yet to make an appearance.

Will they find their best in the knockout rounds?

Iran, Australia, and Qatar are still strong teams in Asia, but they all have varying degrees of "eating the old roots".

Do they still have what it takes to challenge for the championship?

Indonesia, Thailand, Palestine, Tajikistan and other relatively weak teams, who can continue to create accidents and become real dark horses?