Qatari sports media and all newspapers issued in Qatar celebrated on Wednesday the unprecedented sporting achievement of the Jordanian national football team with their historic victory over the South Korean team on Tuesday night. Qatari newspapers praised the match with creative headlines and analytical coverage, dedicating numerous pages and extensive space to it, describing the match as a "historical epic."
Al-Raya, the largest Qatari newspaper, in its coverage titled "The Lions Did It... They Shocked the Star-Studded Koreans and Soared to the Historic Final," noted that Jordan achieved a stunning victory over South Korea at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, reaching the Asian Cup final for the first time in its history. Al-Raya added that the Jordanian team deserved the win for being the better and more dangerous team throughout the ninety minutes, highlighting the impressive performances of goal scorers Mousa Al-Tamari and Yazan Al-Naimat due to their speed and creativity in dribbling, mentioning Al-Tamari was named Man of the Match.
The report continued that amidst the chants of the Jordanian fans "Play, O Jordan," and "O Jordan, We Came From Every City," the Lions started the match with great confidence, easily exchanging passes and forcing the Korean team to retreat. Al-Raya affirmed that the fans of the Lions created a great epic with their celebrations after the Jordanian team reached the final for the first time in its history. They made history and triumphed convincingly over the Korean team, one of the tournament favorites, becoming the first team to reach the Qatar 2023 Asian Cup final, awaiting the winner of today's match between Qatar and Iran.
The report pointed out that yesterday was not an ordinary day for Jordanian fans in Doha. After the Lions wrote a new chapter in Jordanian football history with an exceptional achievement, the Jordanian fans flooded the streets of Doha, their chants echoing everywhere, whether at Souq Waqif, Lusail City, the Cultural Village (Katara), or the Doha Metro stations and tunnels. Al-Raya stated that the Lions wrote a new history, proving to Asia and the world that they are a force to reckon with, and the best is yet to come, God willing. The pitch witnessed celebrations among the players and their fans to the song "Long Live the Lions," with the Jordanian flag present, as players danced in celebration of their unprecedented achievement in the tournament.
Under the headline "Jordanians Continue to Write History in Golden Letters... The Lions to Lusail and the Tigers to Seoul," Al-Sharq newspaper reported that the Jordanian team continued to make history after they pulled off a major upset by defeating South Korea 2-0 in the match held last night. It added that with this victory, the Lions advanced to the final, which will take place at Lusail Stadium next Saturday, awaiting the second finalist from today’s match between Qatar and Iran, while South Korea headed to Seoul, continuing their streak of failing to win the title for 64 years.
The article also noted that the President of the Qatari Olympic Committee, Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, made sure to congratulate the Lions on their historic achievement at the Qatari stadiums, saying: "From Al Rayyan to Amman... Congratulations to our brothers in Jordan for the Lions' qualification to the finals... and hopefully, victory for our champions tomorrow."
Al-Sharq highlighted that ticket demand for the match was extremely high, selling out a day before the encounter as the aspirations of Jordanian fans soared, especially since the team has shown remarkable performances throughout the tournament, achieving impressive results even against the strongest teams, including drawing with South Korea in the group stage, winning against Iraq in the quarter-finals, and overcoming the challenge of Tajikistan, the tournament dark horse.
