Sports
Iran beat Japan 2-1 for a place in AFC Asian Cup 2023 semifinal
Iran, backed by their thousands of vociferous supporters, have knocked out favourites Japan and earned a spot in the semifinals of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 with a famous 2-1 win,
In a match billed as an early final of the tournament – given both teams’ history in the competition, their FIFA rankings and strong squads – Iran turned the tables on the four-time champions on a cool Saturday afternoon at Education City Stadium in Qatar.
In a tournament that is now well-known for its late drama, Iran’s captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh delivered one of the most famous goals in his country’s Asian Cup history with a heart-in-mouths stoppage-time penalty that booked Team Melli a place in the second semifinal on Wednesday.
The opening minutes of the game saw Japan make several bursts towards Iran’s goal but failed to convert their chances, much to the delight of the large Iranian contingent positioned behind it.
Hidemasa Morita changed that with his goal in the 28th minute and the small groups of Japanese fans scattered around the stadium finally made their presence felt. However, it did little to deter Team Melli’s supporters, who took up their synchronised clapping and chanting by a few more notches.
The team, one of the oldest squads at the tournament, pulled up their socks after half-time and began a back-and-forth contest with the Samurai Blue as they sought an equaliser.
Perhaps they were out to impress their coach, Amir Ghalenoei, who had slammed the team for missing several chances to score against Syria in their round-of-16 match on Thursday. “I’m not really happy with the performance of a few players but I’m very happy with the discipline we showed,” Ghalenoei had said.
Iran’s first goal finally came 10 minutes into the second half as Mohammed Mohebi slotted Sardar Azmoun’s through pass into the Japanese goal and sent their fans into a frenzy. Their unwavering support had finally paid off.
More than two-thirds of the spectators were either dressed in Iran’s colours or carrying Iranian flags. Some, like Wafai Salar, had travelled from across the Arabian Gulf to back their team. He came to Doha 10 days ago from the western Lorestan province to back his team in the latter stages of the tournament. “We must not doubt our team,” Salar told Al Jazeera before the match.
The belief was reiterated by 72-year-old super fan Mohamed Mirza, who said the team did not feel the absence of their star striker Mehdi Taremi, who missed out on account of his two yellow cards in the game against Syria. We have 24 Taremis in the squad,” he shouted after the match. “I have been living in Qatar for decades and have seen three Asian Cups here, so now the team owe me a trophy,” Mirza said before resuming his chants for Iran.
Indeed, Ghalenoei’s team showed they were up for the challenge against heavy favourites Japan by defending their goal and following it up with runs into the Japanese half. One of these, late into stoppage time, resulted in Iran winning a penalty.
The late drama was too much for some fans, who turned their backs to the pitch before the penalty was taken by Jahanbakhsh. Once the ball was deposited in the top left corner, pandemonium broke out in the stands and on the pitch. Iran’s substitutes ran onto the pitch to celebrate and their fans jumped out of their seats.
Three minutes later, the referee’s full-time whistle confirmed Japan’s dismissal. The Japanese fans seated behind their goal held their heads in their hands and shed tears of agony and disbelief.
Across the aisle, nine-year-old Iran fan Ario was crying, as well. The dramatic last-minute penalty was too much to take for the young supporter. “I was so nervous before the penalty was taken, I peeled the skin off my fingers,” he told Al Jazeera as tears fell down his cheek.
Ario, a Canadian Iranian citizen, has never been to the country of his parents’ birth but would one day like to play for Team Melli. “I get so excited every time I see them play, so I want to be like them one day,” he said.
![Iran football team fan Ario at Education City Stadium [Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240203_163244-1706981525.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C578&quality=80)
Ghalenoei’s men will give Ario and the millions of Iran fans the world over another chance to ride the wave of emotions when they take on the winner of the Qatar vs Uzbekistan quarterfinal in four days’ time.
For old-timers like Mirza, it may even be a case of third-time lucky if the three-time champions walk away with the trophy on February 10.
(Aljazeera)
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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