In the 21st century, the Asian Cup has come to be known as the “Curse of Iran. Since 2000, any team that has defeated Iran has been eliminated in the next round. South Korea has been victimized three times. This time around, the bombshell came in the form of Japan, the “zero favorite” to win the tournament.

Japan will face Iran in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Asian Cup on March 3 at 8:20 p.m. ET at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. It’s the biggest match of the tournament, practically a final.

But even if Japan wins, they will be reluctant. 토토사이트 They need to break one more jinx. No team has ever won after traveling to Iran for six consecutive tournaments.

The curse began at the 2000 Asian Cup in Lebanon (Japan won), where South Korea beat Iran 2-1 in the quarterfinals. They met Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals and lost 1-0.

At the 2004 Asian Cup in China (won by Japan), the home team was also upset. China beat Iran on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

In the final, China was brought to its knees by Japan, 1-3.

At the 2007 Asian Cup, co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam (winner Iraq), South Korea was another victim. South Korea upset Iran in the quarterfinals. They lost to Iraq in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Iraq went on to defeat Saudi Arabia to win the title.

At the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar (Japan won), South Korea had another bitter pill to swallow. South Korea sent Iran home in the quarterfinals. They faced Japan in the quarterfinals. After a 2-2 draw, they lost 0-3 in penalty kicks.

At the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia (won by Australia), Iran was upset by Iraq in the quarterfinals. Iraq faced South Korea in the quarterfinals. The Iraqis were swept aside by South Korea 0-2.

At the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates (won by Qatar), Japan was the victim. Japan swept Iran 3-0 in the quarterfinals, only to fall 1-3 to Qatar in the final.

It’s a frightening law that hasn’t been broken in the last 24 years. It’s a coincidence, but it’s a great narrative to watch. 토토사이트 순위 If Japan beats Iran to reach the quarterfinals, there’s a very good chance they’ll meet Qatar again. South Korea got their revenge nine years ago by crushing Australia in the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if Japan can overcome Iran and upset Qatar in the quarterfinals.

Iran, meanwhile, has never won the Asian Cup. Their last win came in 1976 and they have not reached the final since. Most of the time, the quarterfinals have been their limit. Third place in 2019 is their best result since winning the title.