VIDEOLeft-handed and number 10. Thanks to its own “Messi”, a modest team breaks the odds and is a finalist for the Asian CupBy Rodolfo Chisleanschi

He never played in a World Cup. He had participated only four times in the Asian Cup Until the current dispute, he occupies the position 87th in the FIFA ranking y only one of its members plays in a European league, but the Jordan national team showed once again that football is the only sport where any result is possible. Defeated by 2-0 to the powerful South Korea (23rd on said list) and got into the final of the Asian Nations Tournament that takes place in Qatarwhere they will face the winner of the match between the local team and Iran.

Absolutely no one, not even the most studious of experts, had Jordan among the favorites to be next Saturday in the same stadium, the Lusail, that brings back such good memories for Argentine fans. The “Desert Warriors” They did not appear in the antecedents or pre-tournament level bets. But Against all oddsand encouraged by the majority of more than 40,000 fans who filled the Álman-bin-Ali field, not only defeated the Koreans, but also did so by accumulating enough merits to achieve it.

Hwang Hee-chan tries to take the ball from al-Tamari in the semi-final South Korea 0 vs. Jordan 2; The number 10 was decisive for the victory and the passage to the final.GIUSEPPE CACACE – AFP

The name of Musa Al-Tamari It says very little to the vast majority of world football fans. Born ago 26 years In Amman, the capital of his country, this forward who has an easier time moving on the right wing than in the center of the attack accumulates three goals and as many assists in the French Montpellier (13th in the Ligue 1 table), a club he joined this season from Belgian OH Leuven. But more important than these data is the fact that His compatriots consider him “the Jordanian Messi”and like the authentic Messi, in addition to being left handed and dress the number 10 shirt, led his team to the final.

Eight minutes into the second half, Al-Tamari anticipated a horizontal pass in the middle of the field, opened to the left and filtered the ball right into the opposite sector. That’s where I was going Yazan Al-Naimat, his forward partner, a player for the Qatari Al-Ahli and the one whose scream had been drowned out by the Korean goalkeeper at the end of the first stage after a monumental pile-up in the area. Yazan defined with quality and opened the scoring. Thirteen minutes later, Al-Tamari finished his work. He received the ball on his right, dribbled with brakes and exited. In-Beom-Hwang and won the space for the shot. From outside the area, his left foot drew the same shot as the original Messi to nail the ball next to the right post and ensure the most important victory in the history of Jordanian football.

A special celebration from the Jordanians after Yazan al-Naimat opened the scoring; The final of the Asian Cup will feature a team that was not in almost anyone’s plans.KARIM JAAFAR – AFP

Born as “Transjordania” in 1946, the country did not have a national team until 1953, when the Pan-Arab Games debuted, and since then their greatest success to date was reaching the playoffs in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. In it they met Uruguay, who resolved everything with a 5-0 in Amman. The rematch in Montevideo was 0 to 0 just for statistics.

Nor did this occasion seem destined to remain in the books. The list of players did not predict great celebrations. With majority of local football men, Except for Al-Tamari, none of the “foreigners” participate in qualified leagues. Their clubs are located in Lebanon, Malaysia, Libya, Qatar, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, destinations that do not usually appear on the map of global football attention. Not even the performances of recent months invited enthusiasm. In the playoffs For the 2026 World Cup, Jordan started with a tie in extremis in Tajikistan (1 to 1) and a 2-0 defeat at home against the Saudis.

Perhaps the presence of a technical director who has a good share of titles was the only item in favor. Hussein Ammoutaa 54-year-old Moroccan, does not record any time in high-level football on his resume, either as a player or as a coach, but in this area You already know what it means to win the African Cup (2020, with the Moroccan national team) and the Champions africana (with Wydad Casablanca), in addition to several leagues and cups in his country and in Qatar.

Jordan Compact 2 vs, South Korea 0

At the continental event, Ammouta presented a team that, basically, went out to play without fear and with a laudable offensive spirit. They began by destroying Malaysia (4 to 0), reached the round of 16 by tying against South Korea (the latter reached 2 to 2 thanks to a goal against in the 91st minute), and closed the group stage by reserving players, which cost them a 1-0 defeat against Bahrain. Then the best would come. To start, a miraculous 3 to 2 against Iraq. The match reached the 90th minute with an advantage for the Iraqis, but Yazan Abu al-Arab established equality in the 95th and Nizar Al-Rashdan scored the third in the 97th. Later, a 1-0 to Tajikistan in the quarterfinals , and this victory in the new clash with the South Koreans.

At the press conference prior to the semifinal. Ammouta had highlighted the concentration on tactical aspectshe collective sacrifice and the attention to details as keys to reaching the decisive match. But above all, he emphasized the “hunger for glory” of his players. That impetus led them to dominate an individually superior rival for a good part of the 90 minuteswith men established in Tottenham and PSG, such as Heung-Min Son y Kang-In Lee (This time Min-Jae Kim, Bayern defender, did not play due to an accumulation of cards, and his absence was notable).

Al-Tamari celebrates Jordan’s second goal at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium in Al-Rayyan, on the outskirts of Doha, where more than 40,000 fans cheered on the winner.GIUSEPPE CACACE – AFP

If football is so fascinating, it is, among other reasons, because there is no other sport in which predictions are so frequently shattered. This time it was Jordan’s turn to do it, perhaps because among his cards he has his particular Messi. Musa Al-Tamari will be entrusted on Saturday the fans leaving the stadium singing that “Asia is Jordanian” while they dreamed of the greatest and most amazing of celebrations.

Rodolfo Chisleanschi

Themes

Asian CupSouth Korea National Team

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