Jordan upset South Korea 2-0 in their Asian Cup semi-final on Tuesday at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium where Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari scored second-half goals to guide them into the final for the first time.
The result was a stunning upset for Jordan, who are ranked 87th in the world but played with nothing to lose against South Korea who are the third-best team in Asia, 64 places above them.
South Korea had made a habit of scoring late goals in the tournament but there was no comeback this time as Jordan kept them at bay to book their place in the final, where they will face either Iran or hosts and defending champions Qatar.
“The players delivered a heroic performance. The X-factor was we didn’t need to give South Korea more respect than needed,” Jordan’s Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta said.
“Based on their record in their last few games, they conceded goals and we knew it was possible to score against them, that was the turning point.”
Al-Naimat had scored in the 2-2 draw when the two teams met in the group stage and the 24-year-old was once again the tormentor-in-chief with his nimble footwork while Al-Taamari’s tireless running also bore fruit.
In a goalless first half, Al-Naimat had the best opportunity to score for Jordan when he skipped past three defenders in the box, but his shot was hit straight at goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo who made a reflex save.
At the other end, Lee Jae-sung nearly opened the scoring for South Korea when Son Heung-min sent a cross into the box but the midfielder’s header came off the post to give Jordan a reprieve.
