DOHA: Jordan and hosts and holders Qatar will meet in the Asian Cup final on Saturday.
AFP Sport selects five players who stood out during the tournament:
Along with fellow striker Mousa Al-Tamari, Naimat terrorized South Korea’s defense in Jordan’s 2-0 semi-final win.
Tamari is the only Jordanian player in Europe, but clubs across the planet will be taking note of Naimat’s all-action performances over the past month.
The 24-year-old Naimat scored in a 2-2 draw with South Korea in the group stage, then added another against them in the semi-finals. He also netted in a thrilling 3-2 win over Iraq.
Quick and direct, he created 10 chances during the tournament, the joint second most of any player.
Currently playing for Al-Ahli in Qatar, the centre-forward has 14 goals in 43 games plus 15 assists for his club.
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The 26-year-old wide forward is a player of the tournament candidate after his goals and assists along with Naimat’s helped Jordan reach their first ever final.
Tamari works in Montpellier, France, and his performance in Qatar showcased his talent to an even wider audience.
He opened his tournament with a bang, hitting the brace in a 4-0 demolition of Malaysia, then claiming a man-of-the-match role in a last-four win over South Korea.
Pacy, skilful and hard-working, Tamari set up Naimata’s first goal and 13 minutes later got involved by cutting through the Korean defense before unleashing a ruthless finish.
Palestine made history by reaching the knockout stages of the Asian Cup for the first time and Dabbagh played a key role as he made his mark with three goals.
The striker, who transferred to Charleroi in Belgium last year, was a constant problem for defenders with his aerial prowess and poaching instinct in front of the goal.
Just turned 25 and playing his second Asian Cup, his prime years are still ahead of him.
Palestine’s tournament ended with a 2-1 defeat to Qatar in the last 16, but along with captain and defender Musab Al-Battat, Dabbagh was their star.
Uzbekistan’s tournament ended in the quarter-finals on penalties with Qatar, but Fayzullaev will have plenty of Asian Cups to come.
The 20-year-old forward has been watched for some time now and he showed why, especially with the away winner against Thailand in the round of 16.
As is expected of a young player, he occasionally dropped out of games, but it was the CSKA Moscow star’s second goal of the competition and he was named man of the match.
Thailand’s uncompromising defenders had had enough of him by the end and he asked for a late substitution to avoid further roughing.
Striker Akram Afif grabbed the headlines for Qatar, but Mendes also played a key role in getting the hosts and holders to the final.
Born in Brazil, Mendes played for Marseille a decade ago and has Champions League experience with them, suffering defeats to Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
He only made his debut in Qatar in November, but has played his club football in the country for the past nine years.
Quietly effective at the back, Mendes used all his experience and defensive ability to help Qatar get through the group stage without conceding a goal.
