Chinese referee officiates Asian Cup semi-finals for the first time. Ma Ning showed a total of 7 yellow cards in the South Korean team's 3-1 match against Bahrain.
In the quarter-finals, Ma Ning decisively awarded a penalty kick in the final stage of injury time, which also showed his accurate judgment ability. It is worth noting that in accordance with the employment practices of international and continental cups, the referee who serves as the fourth official may be the referee for the third or fourth place finals or even the final.