Asian Cup 2019: Breaking many records?
(Baonghean.vn) - With the increase in the number of teams from 16 to 24, the number of matches will increase and the records of this tournament will have the opportunity to be broken. In addition, more and more Asian players are going to Europe to compete, which will increase the quality of expertise, especially the number of goals scored at the Asian Cup.
Top scorer in history
39 years have passed, the record for most goals scored at the Asian Cup is still held by Iran's Behtash Fariba and South Korea's Choi Soon-ho, set in 1980 with 7 goals, no player has surpassed that milestone.
This year, with a larger number of participating teams (from 16 to 24) and more matches, people hope to see a new top scorer emerge, with the most goals in history.
 |
| Who among these names will shine? Photo: Fox Sports Asia |
All hopes are focused on names that have recently made their mark on European and Asian football fields. The most notable is 26-year-old Alireza Jahanbakhsh, a winger for Brighton & Hove Albion and the Iran national team. This player has played for Iran’s U20 and U23 teams and participated in the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and the 2018 World Cup.
Next up is 27-year-old Hwang Ui-jo, a South Korean international who plays as a forward for Gamba Osaka in the J1 League and the South Korean national football team. He is supported by South Korean star Son Heung-min, who is thriving at Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national team.
In addition, there is young striker Akram Afif (Qatar). Famous writer Gabirel Tan of Fox Sports Asia assessed that the presence of this 23-year-old striker will turn the Qatar team from a dark horse team into a real candidate for the championship in this tournament. Striker Yuya Osako of Japan is also a name mentioned a lot to compete for the title of top scorer of the 2019 Asian Cup.
The best player of the AFF Cup 2018, Nguyen Quang Hai, continues to be highly regarded in this tournament. If he shines in the confrontation with two strong teams, Iraq and Iran, then surely the top clubs in the continent will not be able to ignore this name.
Most goals/match
In the history of the Asian Cup, the player who scored the most goals in a match is 4 goals, and that happened 4 times with the cases of Betash Fariba (Iran in 1980), Ali Daei (Iran in 1996), Ismaeel Abdullatif (Bahrain in 2011) and Hamza Al-Dardour (Jordan in 2015).
With the increase in the number of teams to 24, the gap between teams will be widened, it is very possible that matches like Iran and Yemen, strikers will score more than 4 goals per match. After witnessing Thai striker, Adisak Kraisorn, score 6 goals in a match at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2018, people hope to have a similar scenario in this tournament.
Most finalists
 |
| South Korean star Son Heung-min is thriving at Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national team Photo: Fox Sports Asia |
There are three teams that have reached the final six times: Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. While Japan has won four times and finished second twice, South Korea has won twice in 1956 and 1960, and finished second in 1972, 1980, 1988 and 2015. Saudi Arabia has also reached the final six times: three times champions (1984, 1988 and 1996) and three times runners-up (1992, 2000, 2007).
If any of the three teams Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia reach the final this year, it will also create a new Asian Cup record. Experts say Japan and South Korea are the teams with higher potential.
Most champions
With 4 titles, Japan is the team with the best record at the Asian Cup finals, followed by Iran and Saudi Arabia - two teams that have won the championship 3 times. If Japan wins the Asian Cup this time, they will break their own record with 5 trophies won. Meanwhile, if Iran and Saudi Arabia win, they will equal Japan's record if they lift the trophy this year. The most interesting thing is to witness the final match between Japan and Iran, a match that will give viewers a lot of emotions./.
