AL RAYYAN, Qatar (Reuters) – Jordan caused an upset by defeating South Korea 2-0 in the Asian Cup semi-final on Tuesday at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari scored second-half goals to lead Jordan to their first final appearance.
The game was scoreless in the first half, but in the 53rd minute Al-Taamari intercepted a poor back pass in midfield and released Al-Naimat, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to score his third goal of the tournament.
Al-Taamari then scored a sensational solo goal, running past a static South Korean defense and curling his effort past the goalkeeper to double Jordan’s lead, much to the delight of their fans among the 42,850 in the arena.
Despite South Korea’s habit of scoring late goals in the tournament, Jordan managed to keep them at bay and secure their spot in the final. They will face either Iran or hosts and defending champions Qatar in the final.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Al Rayyan, Qatar; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
