Asian Cup draws to a close

The Asian Cup came to a climax on Saturday as Australia defeated South Korea in a thrilling final to lift the trophy. It was a disappointing tournament, however, for the majority of the Middle East’s 10 participating nations, although the UAE and Iraq will certainly be able to look back on the past three weeks with fondness.

While there were few surprises in the teams who played out the final in Sydney, with the Australians and South Koreans hot favourites to go far well before a ball was even kicked, the semi-final had an unusual look to it. The UAE stunned many more favourable nations en route to only their third appearance in the last-four. Meanwhile, Iraq put pre-tournament political and social problems aside to create an almost unbreakable team unit and get within touching distance of the final.

A tournament to remember for UAE and Iraq

The UAE made the perfect start to their campaign with a 4-1 thrashing of local rivals Qatar. There was more to this than football, as recent political tensions between the two Gulf States were at the forefront of the fixture, but the Emiratis outclassed their more illustrious neighbours in style.

A tight victory over Bahrain in their next fixture, courtesy of an own-goal, ensured that UAE qualified from their group at the earliest opportunity and wouldn’t have to get a result in the third and final game of the first phase, against favourites Iran. Indeed, the Emiratis lost this fixture but went into the next stage along with their opponents.

In the quarter-finals, UAE faced regional powerhouse Japan, with few tipping any result other than a resounding Japanese victory. What followed was one of the most memorable victories in the footballing history of the UAE and indeed, the Asian Cup, as a determined group of players battled through 120 minutes of football to take the game to penalties. In the dreaded shootout, UAE held their nerve to progress to the semi-finals and sent their far more renowned opponents crashing out.

Sadly, this was where their fairy-tale ended, as a largely one-sided 2-0 defeat to hosts and eventual winners Australia scuppered any dreams of making the final. It was a sensational campaign for a young squad who will be looking to go one step further next time. 2015 highlighted the results of a nation that is flexing its financial muscles and starting to take sport more seriously, becoming a growing force in the global game in the process.

UAE did manage to end the tournament on a high by capturing the bronze medal with a thrilling victory over the Middle East’s other success story, Iraq. Undoubtedly the highlight of a wonderful campaign for the Lions of Mesopotamia was an enthralling victory over neighbours and fiercest rival Iran in the quarter-finals. In a game with rarely a dull moment, the Iraqis proved their mettle by eliminating their opponents in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of end-to-end action.

Having beaten their neighbour Jordan in their opening fixture, the Iraqis were unlucky to lose to Japan before dispatching with debutants Palestine to emerge from their group. After the victory over Iran came South Korea in the semi-finals. The Iraqis couldn’t quite match their more experienced opponents and fell to a 2-0 defeat. Despite the result and final fourth place finish, this was a memorable tournament that will have surely instilled some joy in a population torn apart by conflict, even if only momentarily.

Palestine makes their debut

Palestine will have been proud of their performances in their first ever Asian Cup campaign. Whilst few expected them to progress, the players who had suffered to such a great extent throughout the qualifying campaign gave a good account of themselves and can look forward to future tournaments with the experience and tactical nous to make a greater impact.

Other than UAE and Iraq, Iran was the only Middle Eastern side to emerge from the group stage. This was a largely disappointing year for one of the most talented squads to assemble at the Asian Cup, with a semi-final berth the minimum expectation. Being eliminated by their fiercest rivals will have only rubbed salt in Iran’s wounds and an improvement will be surely expected from their passionate fans.

Bahrain will feel they possibly could have gone further had luck been on their side, particularly in their fixture against the UAE, but were not expected to be one of the main challengers and will be hoping to focus on a successful 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. Oman and Kuwait will rue being drawn in the same group as the finalists and can perhaps be excused for failing to make any real impact on the tournament. A more favourable draw may have provided either team with the confidence to build some momentum and potentially go far.

Disappointment for the majority of the region

Jordan will have been rather disappointed not to have progressed from the group stages either, despite some positive performances. It was expected that qualification would hinge on victory over rivals Iraq on the opening day, particularly as Japan were clear favourites to top the group. However, a tight 1-0 defeat to the Iraqis meant that not even a 5-1 drubbing of Palestine was enough to get through, compounded further by defeat to Japan.

Having come under much global scrutiny recently following accusations surrounding their successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar was looking for a positive footballing story in the Asian Cup. It never threatened to come however, with a woeful performance seeing them rooted to the bottom of their group with no points. This was certainly a tournament to forget for the Qataris who, like the UAE, have pumped millions of dollars into building a solid footballing infrastructure and brand. Unlike their Emirati rivals, however, the results on the field have been lagging behind.

Arguably the biggest disappointment came in the form of Saudi Arabia. Despite being given a relatively undemanding group, they simply did not turn up. Aside from a 4-1 drubbing of North Korea, the Saudis were poor throughout and deservedly lost to China and Uzbekistan before eventually coming third in the group. As the most successful Middle Eastern side in the Asian Cup’s history, many were expecting Saudi Arabia to go far, but a much stronger performance was required.

Whilst the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran left Australia having failed to live up to pre-tournament expectation, this was a tournament to remember and build upon for UAE and Iraq.  With four years until the next Asian Cup, there will be plenty of time for the Middle East’s football teams to rebuild and ensure that they are well prepared for a successful campaign next time out.