The semi final matchups are
Iran vs Japan Monday at 6 AM Pacific
and Qatar vs UAE Tuesday at 6 am Pacific
My very brief and not too informed analysis of the tournement:
My home country Iran (so I'm not going to hide my bias) has looked solid in what could be Carlos Quieroz' last major tourney with the team. Haven't gotten scored on once and just defeated china 3-0...winning 4 and drawing one game so far. They'll be playing AFC cup regular fixture and four time champion Japan, who have actually won every single game, but with some less impressive scorelines.
On the other side you have two surprising contenders, but not too surprising when you consider context. UAE is the host and while they only got 5 points in the group stages with some more unimpressive scores, they did just defeat reigning champions australia 1-0 in the quarter finals.
And then you have Qatar....a team who has dominated. Qatar has invested heavily in its national team in preparation for their first world cup appearence as the host, and the investment seems to be paying off. They also, like iran, have scored 12 goals without conceding one....but unlike Iran they have done so while winning ever game, including impressive wins against Saudi Arabia in the group stages, and Iraq and South Korea in the knock out round.
So who do you guys got? is anyone else even remotely paying attention to this
