The Asian Cup quarter-final matchups are:
Qatar vs. Iraq,
Australia vs. Saudi Arabia,
Japan vs. South Korea,
China vs. Iran.
In the battle for the Top 4, the China Team's situation is not optimistic. Even if they overcome the hurdle of Iran, their opponent in the next round will be the winner of Japan vs. South Korea.
There isn't much rest time left for each team; a match every three days is a considerable test of the players' physical fitness.
On February 3, 2024, at the Gulf Stadium, China faced Iran.
The China Team reaching the quarterfinals has already fulfilled the Chinese Football Association's minimum goal. Their opponents along the way have not been strong, and from the group stage onwards, China's luck has been far better than its strength.
The China Team's fans grew more energetic with their cheers. Even if the team's strength was a bit weaker, in a knockout cup competition, it wasn't impossible to beat Iran, and they could even challenge Japan and South Korea in the next round.
In this match, facing Iran, a traditional powerhouse in Asia, China changed its formation to 3-5-1-1. Previously, they had always struggled against opponents' dense defenses, but now China set up a 'bus' formation, and it was up to Iran to figure out how to respond.
In the 8th minute of the match, Iran won a set-piece opportunity in the front field. Taremi, a forward playing for Porto in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, received a free-kick from a teammate and headed it directly at the goal. Yan Junling thrillingly tipped the ball over the crossbar.
In the 14th minute of the match, Iran launched a positional attack. Jahanbakhsh, who plays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, cut in from the right wing, dribbled past two players, and was brought down by Zhang Linpeng in the penalty area, earning Iran a penalty.
Through the replay, it was clear that Zhang Linpeng's tackle almost simultaneously touched both the ball and Jahanbakhsh's leg. This penalty decision was controversial.
After calming down the protesting China players, the Referee personally ran to the sideline and, after VAR confirmation, pointed to the penalty spot, upholding the original decision.
Taremi stood at the penalty spot, waiting for the Referee's whistle amidst the boos of the China fans.
Yan Junling constantly moved left and right, both to relax himself and to try to distract his opponent.
At the Referee's signal, Taremi took a deep breath, took a run-up, and shot. The ball flew towards the top left corner of the goal.
Yan Junling guessed the right direction and leaped, but there was still a slight distance between his gloves and the ball. The ball went into the net, and the Iran team led the China Team 1:0.
The China Team, trailing by one goal, did not panic. Under the command of Captain Wu Xi, they maintained their dense defensive formation. It was clear that the team was well-prepared for falling behind.
In the 32nd minute of the match, the China Team, who had been under pressure from Iran, launched a rather threatening counterattack.
The Iran team took a corner kick. Zhang Linpeng's long clearance kick sent the ball towards the left sideline. Liu Yang sprinted head-down, chasing the ball, successfully stopping it before it went out of bounds. Then he launched another long kick, sending the ball far up the left side of the front field.
Wu Lei, playing as a shadow striker behind Gao Nuo in this match, ran towards the ball with Iran's full-back. In the scramble, he successfully held off his opponent and brought the ball under control. Wu Lei was now only 30 meters from the goal. He looked up and passed the ball horizontally to the center.
Gao Nuo, who was defending the corner kick in the penalty area, began his first full-field sprint of the match. He overtook players all the way from his own penalty area, and by the time Wu Lei won possession, he had already run into the opponent's half. Seeing Wu Lei's through ball, Gao Nuo took a breath and accelerated again.
During Iran's corner kick attack, only two full-backs were left in the backfield. One was already tangled with Wu Lei, while the other rushed towards the ball simultaneously with Gao Nuo.
Gao Nuo's speed exploded, and he arrived at the same time as the full-back who was closer to the ball. Gao Nuo adopted a shooting stance, and Iran's defender attempted a sliding tackle to stop the attack.
"Bang—!" "DUANG—!"
Gao Nuo's foot was faster. After shooting, he leaped up to avoid the opponent's studs. The ball flew towards the goal with immense power. The goalkeeper's save failed, but the ball hit the post and went out of bounds.
Gao Nuo, who narrowly missed scoring, was not dejected. He quickly returned to the center circle, continuing to await the next attacking opportunity.
China's 'bus' defense was good in the first half, and Iran failed to score again. Gao Nuo's full-field sprint scared Iran's defense to death. The China Team performed excellently in both defense and offense in the first half.
If it weren't for being temporarily behind due to the penalty, it could be said that the China Team's tactics were very successful.
He Wei in the live broadcast also mentioned this to the audience. He believed that facing one of Asia's strongest teams, the China Team's tactics were clear, and the players' mentality was even more stable. Coupled with Gao Nuo's excellent individual ability, it was very possible for the Iran team to make mistakes, which would give China a chance to reach the Top 4.
Unlike club matches, in international competitions, when you have your own country, the commentators do not need to remain objective. Supporting the China Team and hoping Iran would make mistakes in the second half—such an attitude received widespread praise from the audience.
"Dong!" — "Dong!" — "Dong ~ Dong ~ Dong!" Amidst the drumbeats of the China fans, the second half began.
In the 52nd minute of the match, facing a dense defense, the Iran team chose the same wing attack as the China Team. Jahanbakhsh once again broke into the penalty area, and Zhang Linpeng made another tackle, then wagged his finger at the fallen opponent.
This time, Jahanbakhsh, who fell to the ground, not only failed to win a penalty but also received a yellow card from the Referee. The dissatisfied Iran fans, after seeing the replay on the big screen, all closed their mouths. The Referee saw it very clearly: a clear diving action, with no controversy whatsoever.
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In the 63rd minute of the match, the China Team launched a counterattack. Gao Nuo broke through a two-man encirclement, carried the ball to the byline, but his cross was collected by the goalkeeper.
In the 71st minute of the match, Wu Lei was pulled down during a counterattack, and the Iran team received another yellow card.
In the 78th minute of the match, the China Team's corner kick went to the far post, and Gao Nuo's header went wide of the goal.
In the 82nd minute of the match, Taremi of the Iran team unleashed a surprise shot. The ball deflected off a defender and went out of bounds, almost sneaking into the goal.
In the 87th minute of the match, Gao Nuo went on his second full-field sprint of the match.
Once again intercepting an Iran team corner kick, Yan Junling put all his strength into it, kicking the ball towards the center circle. Gao Nuo flew out with the ball.
The same opportunity, the same method. Gao Nuo once again started from his own half, head down, body hunched, running 50 meters in one breath. In Gao Nuo's eyes, the turf beneath his feet flashed by rapidly. Looking up again, he had already run to the edge of the penalty area arc.
Wu Lei on the left gently chipped the ball, just clearing the heads of the defenders, passing it into the penalty area.
Gao Nuo saw the incoming ball, stomped his left foot hard, and leaped high. Using the inertia from his speed, Gao Nuo glided nearly 4 meters in the air. Under the goalkeeper's incredulous gaze, Gao Nuo's head fiercely struck the ball, which, like a cannonball, smashed into the goal.
With his characteristic passionate knee slide, Gao Nuo tugged at his jersey and roared at the stands. He was extremely excited now.
Responding to Gao Nuo were the cheers of all the China fans present. For a moment, the China Team's morale reached its peak.
In the next few minutes, neither the China Team nor the Iran team dared to make a mistake. The 1:1 score was maintained until the end of the 90 minutes of regular time.
Both teams returned to the locker room to prepare for the upcoming extra time.