The Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations both had semi-finals on the night and there was some crazy drama. The Asian Cup welcomes the showdown between Iran and Qatar. Iran eliminated Japan to advance. Qatar did not meet a super strong team along the way, so it was lucky. Although the total value of Iranian players is a little higher, Qatar has home advantage after all. As a result, this game played a very good offensive battle. The game was at its climax from the start. Azmoun scored in the fourth minute and his barbed goal was brilliant. Azmoun was a key contributor to Japan's knockout, providing a crucial assist against Japan. This time against Qatar, he continued his excellent form. However, Qatar then scored 2 goals in a row to overtake the score. The goals were scored by Jassim and Afif. Jahanbakhsh relied on a penalty to equalise for Iran. However, Ali's goal in the last minute sent Iran to the ground. Qatar reversed to advance to the final, where they will face Jordan. Iran had no choice but to get out.
Nigeria played the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals against South Africa. Nigeria is ranked 6th in Africa, has won the Africa Cup of Nations 3 times, and is one of the favorites to win the championship. Nigeria won 2 and drew 1 in the group stage, qualified second in the group, and had to face fierce rival Cameroon in the 1/8 finals. As a result, Nigeria won 2-0 and advanced strongly. In the subsequent match against Angola, Nigeria narrowly won 1-0. This time Nigeria meets South Africa. As a result, it was 1-1 in regulation time, without scoring in extra time, and it was not until the penalty shoot-out that Nigeria got through the game and eliminated South Africa 5-3 on aggregate to reach the final.
In the semi-finals between Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire had the last laugh. Ivory Coast were significantly stronger, with 57% possession and 14 attempts on goal and one goal. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had only seven shots on goal, none of which were scored. Alli scored the only goal of the game and became the biggest contributor to Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast were also magical, having lost two of their group games and only three points to qualify as third in the group. As a result, they made it all the way to the final in the knockout round, which is incredible. Ivory Coast will face Nigeria for the final title. Ivory Coast has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice, while Nigeria has won the Africa Cup of Nations three times. Who will have the last laugh this time?