Iran vs Syria at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Wednesday night – fighting for the last remaining quarterfinal spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
Iran emerged the winner after a penalty shootout was needed to separate the teams following a 1-1 result at the end of extra time.
It was an end-to-end contest that captivated the spectators for more than two hours and the underdog’s fight that Syria showed.
Iran started the game as favorites on many counts.
- Higher ranking: Iran is second in Asia and 21st in the world in FIFA’s men’s rankings, compared to Syria’s 91st position in the world and 13th in Asia.
- Past glory: Iran has won the Asian Cup three times – although the last time they triumphed was 48 years ago – while Syria had never previously gone past the group stage.
- Tournament run: Iran topped their group with three wins and a goal difference of five. Syria sneaked into the knockouts as one of the four best third-place teams on the back of a 1-0 win over hapless India and a goalless draw with Uzbekistan.
- Reputation: Iran was one of the title contenders alongside the likes of Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Syria was rated as one of the teams that would do wonders by qualifying for the knockouts.
Their progress thrilled Syrian fans as it gave them a chance to see their team in action one more time, especially at a stadium that kept them very close to the action. Both sets of fans loved every minute of the action.
The intensity of the on-field action was closely matched by the singing and chanting off it.
The 10,000-capacity venue was evenly packed with supporters of both teams. They came prepared with drums, trumpets, flags of various sizes, and powerful vocal cords. Once the action was underway, each wave of attack on the pitch was matched by a crescendo of noise
