AFC Asian Cup, Iraq’s surprise victory against Japan, Malaysia’s late 3-3 draw against South Korea, and Tajikistan’s quarter-final run are enough to surprise.
And, on The last day at the Khalifa International Stadium, Jordan scored two goals in the extra time of the second half to defeat Iraq 3-2 and knock the 2007 champion team out of the tournament.
But the scenes that are visible outside the sports fields are causing surprise for everyone.
The immediate aftermath of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was not going to be easy for a tournament that was unlikely to garner as much attention as the World Cup and which drew significantly fewer fans than the rest of the country. The possibility of participating in the game was being revealed.
Although there was a clear difference between the two competitions, a similar atmosphere could be seen in the stadiums and streets of Doha and the frenzy in the streets of Souq Waqif was noticeably at its peak.
Sports fans from all over the world, including Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia, flocked to the famous market and thousands of people sang and danced in their traditional ways throughout the night.
Thus, this tournament has unexpectedly become a source of interest.
The Khalifa International Stadium attendance record was broken on Monday when 34,814 fans turned out for the biggest upset of the tournament that evening as Qatar’s 2-1 victory over Palestine marked their 11th straight win. It was attended by a large number of sports fans.
And now it is hoped that this number will be increased to 1.5 million in the final which is going to be held at Lucille Stadium on February 10.
Asian Cup in 2011
It should be noted that when Qatar last hosted the Asian Cup in 2011, only 405,361 fans attended the entire tournament.
Keeping aside the rapid development of football in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom did not win a single match in 2011, and only a little more than 35,000 fans attended its matches. What was the direction of?
Saudi Arabia is now set to host the tournament in 2027 and no doubt the authorities will do their best to make it as successful as Doha.
But for now, it will have to wait for another four years. At this time, the ongoing Asian Cup has brought the Asian Cup and this tournament to new heights.
And the most interesting aspect is that the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals are currently to be played and the memorable and best moments of this tournament are surely yet to be seen.
