Some 14 months after the greatest-ever World Cup final, the eyes of the footballing world will once again fall on the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Saturday as the host nation do battle with the unfancied Jordan to be crowned Asian champions.
It is a final nobody predicted before the tournament began, with Jordan exceeding all expectations en route to becoming the lowest-ranked team to ever make it to the final of the Asian Cup, even managing to steal the narrative away from their hosts doing the same.
Having seen off Son Heung-min's South Korea in the semi-finals and already upset the odds time after time, Jordan cannot be underestimated in the final as they seek the most remarkable and unexpected triumph in the competition's 68-year history.
However, Qatar enter the match as firm favourites to triumph and it would take another major shock from Jordan to deny Tintin Marquez's men back-to-back crowns following their own remarkable triumph in 2019.
On that occasion they did things the hard way, beating Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea to land the biggest prize in their history and do exactly what Jordan are trying to do this year in upsetting the established order and making the most of the underdog status.
Qatar were by no means favourites heading into this year's tournament despite having the double mantle of hosts and holders, with Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia and Saudi Arabia all ranked above them according to FIFA.
However, as each of those rivals for the trophy have fallen away - Iran at the hands of Qatar themselves in the semi-final - then the hosts' hopes of retaining the title have grown ever stronger.
Now, they find themselves as definite favourites in the final and facing the relatively unfamiliar pressure of that tag, the knowledge that Jordan will arrive with nothing to lose and the extra pressure that being the host nation brings too.
Strong team with a star man
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While Jordan have been the story of an incredible tournament, Qatar can boast the likely player of the tournament in star man Afif Akram.
The attacker has five goals and three assists to his name from just six matches and will be the main man to stop for Jordan on Saturday, having weaved his magic to particularly devastating effect in a dramatic 3-2 win over Iran in the semi-finals.
Indeed, Afif's importance to the team is perhaps best showcased by the fact that he has only failed to contribute to a goal in one match all tournament, and that was the time they came closest to being eliminated as they needed a penalty shootout to get past Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals.
Aside from that, Afif scored twice in the opening 3-0 win over Lebanon, got the only goal in the group win over Tajikistan, assisted the solitary strike in their final group game against China, scored one and assisted another in the 2-1 triumph over Palestine in the last 16, and also helped himself to a goal and assist in the semi-final.
There is no doubt that Afif's contribution has been instrumental then, and a strong argument could be made that Qatar would not have made it to the final without him, but Asian football expert Dez Corkhill stresses that the hosts have more than just their talisman to call upon.
"Qatar have got the star name of the tournament Afif Akram, who is based with Al-Sadd. Terrific player, he's given the freedom of the pitch," he told Sports Mole.
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"They're not just about Afif, but he's set up two wonderful corner goals. If you think of the Paul Scholes one against Aston Villa years ago, we had one of those in this tournament, scored by Hassan Al-Haydos, that was a victory in the group stages, Afif with the corner.
"They did one against Palestine when they were 1-0 down just before half time, a short corner put in by Al-Haydos, who is his Al-Sadd colleague, and then Afif in the semi-final scored a wonderful goal - think [Mohamed] Salah on his left foot curls it into the top corner; Afif, right foot, curls it into the top corner.
"He's been a joy to behold, starting right from the very first game of the tournament. Very much the player of the tournament, very much the star man, and very much the man who Jordan will have to stop playing if they are to stop Qatar.
"But they're not just about Afif - they're strong in midfield, defensively. There's been a lot of naturalisation as one of the features of this tournament - a lot of players born in different countries, been in the league for five years plus - you can get naturalisation, citizenship. There's a centre-back, Lucas Mendes, who has been really rock-solid for Qatar.
"Qatar use that very well, a lot of the nations use that very well. But Qatar, strong defensively, an enigmatic, strange goalkeeper - perfect for penalty shootouts - which is exactly why they beat Uzbekistan in that penalty shootout. They've got good defenders, rock-solid midfielders and then Afif as the star turn, so they're decent."
Redemption story
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While winning the trophy in 2019 and reaching at least the final again this time around cements Qatar as one of Asia's dominant football forces of this era, they utterly squandered their chance to showcase that improvement on the world stage in 2022.
Given that they had never qualified for a World Cup before and were one of the lower-ranked teams involved, there was not much outside expectation on Qatar heading into their home tournament, but the nature of their 2019 Asian Cup triumph had raised expectations of those who had closely witnessed and monitored their ascent up the international football ladder.
However, they ended that World Cup with the worst record of any team, losing all three of their group matches while scoring just once and conceding seven times - a huge disappointment despite it being their first taste of the tournament.
The ongoing Asian Cup provides the opportunity to at least in some part atone for their failure to perform on the grandest stage then, as they look to reaffirm their status as the best on their continent.
"The fans have been good; the crowds have been good and the fans have been very supportive, and Qatar feel they owe the world a good showing, because they disappointed so much in the FIFA World Cup," Corkhill explained.
"There was so much build-up. I thought Qatar would really show the world in the FIFA World Cup just 15 months ago that they were a nation to reckon with, and they just didn't perform.
"So I think this is just a bit of redemption for that team to say: 'Hey listen, we were Asian champions in 2019 for a reason, we're a good nation, we play good football, we didn't show it in the World Cup, and now we're at home we want to show it again'. And Afif Akram is the star man of that very organised team."
Can Qatar win back-to-back titles?
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Winning back-to-back Asian Cup titles is by no means unheard of, but it is only the traditionally bigger footballing nations in the region that have managed it before.
South Korea won the first two editions in 1956 and 1960, Iran won three in a row from 1968 to 1976, Saudi Arabia then took up the mantle in 1984 and 1988, while Japan are the only side to have managed to retain the trophy this century, lifting it in 2000 and 2004.
Jordan's own fairytale route to the final will likely overshadow the potential of what Qatar can achieve before the game, but if The Maroons do come out on top then they will earn plenty of deserved plaudits for doing something that even the powerhouses have not managed for two decades.
"It would be a remarkable feat for them. If they were playing Korea or one of the more established nations I wouldn't put them down as favourites, but the fact that they're playing Jordan, and we know how Jordan play," Corkhill said.
"Jordan play on the break, and Jordan rely so much on the pace of [Musa] Al-Taamari on the right, Ali Olwan, who's back from suspension on the left, and Yazan [Al-Naimat] through the middle. That is effectively all Jordan have got; it's very good, but that will be the Jordanian tactic, and I think Qatar will have too much for that.
"They'll have speed merchants back defensively to make sure Al-Taamari in particular can't get at them, and then with Afif and the supporting players, and the versatility they've got - they've got more of a squad that they can blend into.
"I think that is what will make Qatar favourites, plus the home crowd. The stadium will be jam packed, the support for Qatar even when they've been behind has been very, very strong, and there is just a sense of destiny that this is going to spoil the Jordanian party."
Read more on the 2023 Asian Cup final
- Click here to read our full preview for Jordan vs. Qatar
- Asian Cup final: Jordan looking to pull off the greatest upset of all time
Barney Corkhill
Qatar
Tajikistan
China
Lebanon
Australia
Uzbekistan
Syria
India
Iran
UAE
Palestine
Hong Kong
Iraq
Japan
Indonesia
Vietnam
Bahrain
South Korea
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Thailand
Oman
Kyrgyzstan
