The character of South Korea, the drama of Uzbekistan and the comeback of Côte d'Ivoire: what do you remember about the quarter-finals of the African and Asian Cups?

The offensive departure of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

The performance of the Tajikistan national team became one of the main sensations of the Asian Cup. The debutant took second place in the group behind the hosts, and in the 1/8 finals knocked out the strong UAE team. It seemed that Petar Shegrt's team could cope with Jordan.

However, they did not have enough strength for a new miracle, even if the fate of the confrontation was decided by an own goal in the 66th minute. After a corner kick, Abdalla Nassib was allowed to shoot at goal. The ball hit Vahdat Khanonov and flew into the net, disorienting Rustam Yatimov.

The defeat of the “Persian Lions” can be called natural, because they practically did not threaten other people’s possessions. The only thing I remember is Alisher Shukurov’s long-range tight shot, which Yazid Abu Laila dealt with. And in the debut, Ekhsoni Panjshanbe hit the crossbar, but the line judge called it offside. Having missed, the Tajiks did not even manage to organize the final assault.

The success of Husin Ammuta’s team also cannot be ignored. Although he is a strong middle peasant, he has never made it past the quarterfinals at continental championships. At the current tournament, the Jordanians made it into the playoffs with great difficulty, finishing third in the quartet. But then they knocked Iraq out of the fight, scoring twice in stoppage time.

Another team from the post-Soviet space, Uzbekistan, also completed its performance. Moreover, her departure became a real drama. Of course, it is worth praising the team of Srečko Katanec for the fact that, having lost almost half of the main team due to injuries and disqualifications, he gave the fight to Qatar. Moreover, he didn’t come apart after the curious missed goal after half an hour. Hassan Al-Haydos made a banal cross from almost zero angle, but the projectile flew into the net from the hands of Utkir Yusupov.

In the second half, the White Wolves took the initiative and managed to come back. Odiljon Khamrobekov entered the opponent's penalty area through the center and shot accurately. Once again, CSKA winger Abbosbek Faizullaev was included in the team's core, who was very active and repeatedly created an edge on the left edge of the attack.

But the fate of the confrontation was decided only in a penalty shootout. It started unsuccessfully for the Qataris. Almoez Ali immediately responded to Rustam Ashurmatov’s inaccurate attempt. And then Almahdi Ali launched a projectile into the sky. The opponents led with a score of 2:1. But at the moment when it was necessary to put an end to it, they couldn’t cope with their nerves. Zafarmurod Abdirahmatov and Jaloliddin Masharipov executed the penalty kicks not very successfully and allowed Meshaal Barsham to parry them too. On the contrary, Sultan Al-Brake and Pedro Miguel completed the task.

The fateful actions of Son Heung-min

Meanwhile, South Korea confirmed its title as one of the main favorites, and at the same time again showed its signature character, scoring in stoppage time in the fourth match. In the 1/8 finals, she came away from defeat in the meeting with Saudi Arabia in the 99th minute and prevailed in the penalty shootout.

In the quarterfinals with Australia, the situation repeated itself, except that it all ended in extra time. Jurgen Klinsmann's squad had the ball for most of the game, but created virtually no chances. The opponents' counterattacks looked much more interesting. And shortly before the break, the Asian Tigers' defense fell apart, and Craig Goodwin was allowed to calmly take aim and shoot accurately almost from the corner of the goalkeeper's area.

In the second half, the Koreans were forced to open up even more, which the Socceroos took advantage of. Consider Cho Hyun-wo's double save after Martin Boyle's point-blank shots and Mitchell Duke's miss from a few meters past an empty corner.

But when it seemed that the fate of the confrontation was decided, Son Heung Min reminded himself. First, he earned a penalty, which was converted by Hwang Hee-chan in the 96th minute, and in the 104th he scored a stunning free-kick. The Australians were also left short-handed when Aiden O'Neill brought down an opponent in midfield and received a straight red card. So South Korea took another step towards winning the first Asian Cup in 64 years. She must beat Jordan in the semi-finals.

Saving goal by a Rostov football player

The confrontation between Iran and Japan turned out to be no less loud according to the sign. Moreover, the paths of the rivals crossed for the last time in the semi-finals of the previous Asian Cup. Then the “Blue Samurai” defeated their opponent and only lost to Qatar in the battle for the trophy.

At first, the impression was that they would be stronger this time too. In the first half, Hajime Moriyasu's team had the initiative and tried to crack the crowded defense. The Persians relied on playing “number two” and counterattacking. But the only mistake led to a goal. Hidemasa Morita, taking advantage of a penetrating pass, burst into the penalty area in the center and did not shoot very well, but the ball flew into the net from the foot of Alireza Beiranvand.

After the break, Iran improved and was forced to go forward. Former Rostov, Rubin and Zenit striker Serdar Azmun was active and created chances. It was he who completed the assist to the current southerners forward Mohammad Mohebi. Soon Azmun even put his partners ahead, but the goal was canceled due to offside.

But this meeting was not without a penalty in injury time. When everyone was already waiting for the extra one, the Japanese did not keep track of Hossein Kanaani in their own penalty area, and Kou Itakura knocked him down. Alireza Jahanbaksh had no right not to take advantage of this opportunity and put an end to it. Moreover, this also happened in the 96th minute.

Nigeria's confident stride

The current African Cup of Nations was extremely unfortunate for many of the favorites. Even Ghana, Algeria and Tunisia could not leave the quartet. And immediately after the first round of the playoffs, Cameroon, Egypt and Senegal went home. But the trend has not yet affected the Nigerian national team. She acts in a pragmatic manner unusual for the Dark Continent and calmly achieves the desired result. In the group stage, the Superols scored only three times, but conceded only once and scored seven points out of a possible nine.

And in the knockout matches, Ademola Lookman shouldered the burden of leadership. Alexey Miranchuk's Atalanta partner made his debut for the national team in 2022 and scored two goals for the team before the trip to Cote D'Ivoire. But at the continental championship he scored all three goals in the playoffs. First, he scored a double in the confrontation with Cameroon, and then upset one of the main sensations of CAN - Angola. Shortly before the break, Moises Simon made a dash down the left side and passed the ball to a teammate.

The opponents had practically no chance to escape. I only remember Zini’s shot hitting the post. Otherwise, the Nigerian defense acted flawlessly and helped Stanley Nwabili score his fourth shutout in a row. By the way, Jose Pezeiro made a bet on the goalkeeper of the South African Chippa United only before the start of the tournament, and so far he has not failed. One of the negative moments for the winner is Victor Osimhen's injury at the end.

Treaty of Côte d'Ivoire with Fortune

Meanwhile, another giant, Cote D'Ivoire, does not justify this title in terms of play, but has secured the support of fortune. First, the hosts managed to leave the group with three points and a negative goal difference. Then, in a penalty shootout, under the leadership of the new head coach Emers Fae, they eliminated one of the main contenders for the trophy - Senegal.

And in the quarterfinals they miraculously passed Mali, although they did not deserve it. The “Elephants” did not have the most successful meeting and, it seemed, did not understand what to do. But they were very lucky again. Already in the 16th minute, the opponents earned a penalty, but Yahya Fofana parried Adama Traore's shot with a beautiful jump. To top off all the troubles, Odilon Kossunou, who “brought” the penalty kick, received a second yellow card shortly before the break.

In the second half, the Malians scored a fantastic and absolutely logical goal when Nene Dorzhele sent the ball into the top corner from long range. But in the end, the hosts organized a final assault and saved themselves in the 90th minute. After a strike from a partner and a rebound, the projectile successfully bounced into the penalty area to a fresh Simone Adingra.

Then everything went towards a fair “lottery”. But during the last attack, the Ivorians earned a standard. There followed a pass into the penalty area from the right flank. The guests won the aerial battle, but Seko Fofana was the first to react to the rebound, shooting at random. The ball should have been an easy target for Gigi Diarra, but he was unexpectedly heeled into the net by Oumar Diakite.

Williams made four saves in the shootout

Some representatives of the RPL are also happy at KAN. For example, Spartak midfielder Theo Bongonda, together with the DR Congo team, made it into the top four of the championship. Initially, it seemed that his team would not have an easy time in the confrontation with Guinea, because at the previous stage they beat Egypt in a protracted penalty shootout, while their opponents calmly eliminated Equatorial Guinea.

Already in the 20th minute, the Leopards actually conceded. Chancel Mbemba brought down Mohamed Bayo in the penalty area, and he took the penalty himself. But the experienced defender quickly corrected himself, restoring the status quo after the corner.

In the second half, Sebastien Desabre's men put the pressure on their opponents. First they earned a controversial penalty themselves when Julien Janvier touched Silas Katompa Mvumpa's knee in his own penalty area. Ioan Vissa didn't miss from the spot either. And then Arthur Masuaku unexpectedly put the ball into the net with a treacherous direct shot from a set piece. Ibrahim Kone, as the replay showed, touched the ball only behind the line. As for Bongonda, he played almost the entire game, but did not score any points.

Krasnodar's defensive midfielder Kevin Lenini, who plays for Cape Verde, could easily have kept him company in the semi-finals. One of the main sensations of CAN faced off against South Africa and had a good chance of continuing the fight.

As a result, spectators witnessed extremely cautious football. Representatives of both teams, realizing that every mistake could prove fatal, allowed a minimum of risk and rarely reached the opponent's goal. Bafana Bafana created a little more chances, firing six shots on target from Josimar Vozinha.

Unsurprisingly, it eventually went to the first penalty shootout at this stage of the competition. On the one hand, Pedro Leitau Brito's team failed it themselves. On the other hand, Ronwen Williams caught the courage. He stopped four of his opponents' shots from the point. Only Brian Silva Teixeira managed to upset him. The South Africans also did not take the penalty kicks in the best way and converted only half, but the goalkeeper’s feat allowed them to step into the top four of the CAN for the first time in 24 years.