Akram Afif’s (left) first-half strike put him one goal behind Golden Boot leader Aymen Hussein, who scored six goals for Iraq
Almoez Ali’s late strike helped Qatar reach the final of the Asian Cup and continue their title defence with victory over Iran.
Hosts Qatar led after goals from Jassem Gaber and Akram Afif cancelled out Sardar Azmoun’s superb overhead opener.
A controversial penalty decision helped level the scores, but Ali’s 82nd-minute strike and Shoja Khalilzadeh’s late red card were fatal to Iran’s final hopes.
Qatar will play underdogs Jordan in Saturday’s final at Lusail Stadium.
Jordan stunned two-time winners South Korea on Tuesday to reach their first Asian Cup final.
Qatar are bidding to become the first team since Japan in 2000 and 2004 to win back-to-back Asian Cup titles.
Iran’s semi-final got off to the perfect start when Azmoun leapt acrobatically to fire home a sensational overhead kick after Qatar failed to clear a long throw into their box.
Al Thumama Stadium erupted 13 minutes later, however, as Gaber’s strike took a huge deflection off Saeid Ezatolahi and looped over goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
The equaliser caused outcry from the Iranian bench, who thought Mehdi Taremi had been fouled in the opposite box seconds earlier, and Mehdi Torabi was booked for demanding a penalty from the touchline.
Having wasted a simple opportunity earlier in the opening half, Afif redeemed himself when he cut through Iran’s defence before netting his fifth goal of the tournament to take him within one of Iraq’s Aymen Hussein – the Golden Boot leader.
Iran were handed a lifeline early in the second half when the video assistant referee intervened to recommend a review of a penalty decision.
Despite initially waving away appeals of a handball and Ahmed Fathy keeping his arms close to his chest, the referee changed his decision and Alireza Jahanbakhsh calmly slotted the spot-kick straight down the middle.
Goalline clearances at both ends of the pitch kept the tense encounter level until Ali picked out the bottom corner with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Iran’s hopes of reaching their first final since 1976 went from bad to worse when Shoja Khalilzadeh’s yellow card for wiping out Afif was upgraded to a red after a VAR intervention.
After holding off a series of promising last-gasp attacks, the Qatar players dropped to their knees in celebration when the referee blew the full-time whistle following more than 16 minutes of stoppage time.
- Line-ups
- Match Stats
Line-ups
Iran
Formation 4-2-3-1
1Beiranvand23Rezaeian13Kanani4Khalilzadeh3Hajisafi6Ezatolahi8Ebrahimi7Jahanbakhsh14Ghoddos9Taremi20Azmoun
- 1Beiranvand
- 23RezaeianSubstituted forMoghanlouat 87’minutes
- 13Kanani
- 4KhalilzadehBooked at 90mins
- 3HajisafiBooked at 21minsSubstituted forMohammadiat 45’minutes
- 6Ezatolahi
- 8EbrahimiSubstituted forMohebiat 45’minutes
- 7Jahanbakhsh
- 14Ghoddos
- 9TaremiSubstituted forAsadiat 90+8’minutes
- 20Azmoun
Substitutes
- 5Mohammadi
- 10Ansarifard
- 11Asadi
- 12Niazmand
- 15Cheshmi
- 16Torabi
- 17Gholizadeh
- 18Ghayedi
- 21Mohebi
- 22Hosseini
- 24Yousefi
- 26Moghanlou
Qatar
Formation 4-4-2
22Barsham2Carvalho Deus Correia12Mendes3Ali Mohamed Mukhtar4Jadoua Al Bayati9Abdurisag Yusuf24Abdulsallam20Mansi Abdoulla14Ahmed19Abdulla11Afif
- 22Barsham
- 2Carvalho Deus CorreiaSubstituted forOdehat 64’minutes
- 12Mendes
- 3Ali Mohamed MukhtarBooked at 40minsSubstituted forKhoukhiat 68’minutes
- 4Jadoua Al Bayati
- 9Abdurisag YusufSubstituted forAl Haydosat 63’minutes
- 24AbdulsallamSubstituted forMohammed Abdullahat 81’minutes
- 20Mansi AbdoullaBooked at 49mins
- 14AhmedSubstituted forMohammadat 45’minutes
- 19Abdulla
- 11Afif
Substitutes
- 1Al Sheeb
- 5Odeh
- 6Mohammed Abdullah
- 7Abdelmotaal
- 8Thaimn Qambar
- 10Al Haydos
- 15Ali Al Rawi
- 16Khoukhi
- 17Mohammad
- 18Al Brake
- 21Mousa Hassan
- 23Meshaal
Referee:Ahmad Al AliAttendance:40,342
Match Stats
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