Doha: Qatar defeated the Islamic Republic of Iran 3-2 in Wednesday's semi-final at the Al Thumama Stadium, bringing them within one match of reclaiming their AFC Asian CupTM title. For their second consecutive Asian Cup final appearance, the reigning champions prevailed in a wild semi-final match, edging Iran 3-2. The grand final, set to take place at the iconic Lusail Stadium on Saturday, will now pit Al Annabi against Jordan. Both sides made two swaps in the starting lineups; Marquez Lopes started Homam Ahmed and Yusuf Abdurisag, while Ardeshir Ghalehnoy of Iran started Ehsan Hajisafi and Mehdi Taremi. In a fast-paced match that started quickly, Iran grabbed the lead in the fourth minute on an overhead kick by Sardar Azmoun. However, the hosts responded in the 17th minute through a deflected goal by Jassem Gaber. Akram Afif's cutback set up Jassem Gaber for a shot that took a deflection off Saeid Ezatohali, looped over Alireza Beiranvand, and settled in the back of the net. Afif nearly scored for the hosts in the 32nd minute after capitalizing on a sloppy back pass to surge uncontested, but he missed the target after his shot was stopped by Iran's keeper Beiranvand. In the 43rd minute, Afif demonstrated his exceptional skill by scoring his fifth goal of the tournament with a pinpoint finish, putting his side ahead. Two minutes before halftime, though, the Al Sadd striker made no mistake as he collected a left-wing cross from Ahmed Fathy, stepped back, and unleashed a thunderous drive. However, just six minutes into the second half, Iran took command after the break and equalized when a video assistant referee decided that Ezatohali's shot had struck Fathy's hands. With composure, Jahanbakhsh converted a penalty kick for his second goal of the tournament. After getting their best looks at goal on counterattacks, Qatar finally found their groove in the 82nd minute through Abdulaziz Hatem, who found an unmarked Ali, who had plenty of time to choose his spot and slotted home. With this goal, Ali moved into second place on the all-time top scorers list with 11 goals. A red card for Shoja Khalilzadeh's reckless tackle on Afif, who was about to score, dealt a blow to Iran's comeback hopes, and Qatar held on firm to secure an unforgettable victory despite a late surge by Amir Ghalenoei's team.