Qatar Advances to Asian Cup Final by Beating Iran 3-2

Football - AFC Asian Cup - Semifinal - Iran v Qatar - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - February 7, 2024 Qatar's Meshaal Barsham and teammates celebrate after reaching the AFC Asian Cup final. (Reuters)
Football - AFC Asian Cup - Semifinal - Iran v Qatar - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - February 7, 2024 Qatar's Meshaal Barsham and teammates celebrate after reaching the AFC Asian Cup final. (Reuters)
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Qatar Advances to Asian Cup Final by Beating Iran 3-2

Football - AFC Asian Cup - Semifinal - Iran v Qatar - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - February 7, 2024 Qatar's Meshaal Barsham and teammates celebrate after reaching the AFC Asian Cup final. (Reuters)
Football - AFC Asian Cup - Semifinal - Iran v Qatar - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - February 7, 2024 Qatar's Meshaal Barsham and teammates celebrate after reaching the AFC Asian Cup final. (Reuters)

Almoez Ali fired Qatar into the Asian Cup final with a 3-2 win over Iran on Wednesday.

The forward struck the decisive goal in the 82nd minute at Al Thumama Stadium to settle a thrilling semifinal.

Host and defending champion Qatar will play Jordan in Saturday’s final at Lusail Stadium, where Argentina won the World Cup in 2022.

Ali was the leading scorer when Qatar won the Asian Cup in 2019 but has been overshadowed by strike-partner Akram Afif this time around.

Ali came up with a crucial finish to preserve his country's hopes for back-to-back titles after a game that saw both teams give up winning positions.

Sardar Azmoun fired Iran into the lead with an overhead kick in the fourth minute. Qatar responded with a deflected equalizer from Jassem Gaber in the 17th and Afif scored his fifth goal of the tournament with a brilliant individual effort in the 43rd — cutting into the box and lashing a shot beyond Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Iran leveled the game again six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot as Alireza Jahanbakhsh converted after a handball from Ahmed Fathy.

But Ali, who scored nine goals in the 2019 tournament, grabbed his second of this campaign when he fired low from inside the box late on.

Iran was reduced to 10 men when Shoja Khalilzadeh was sent off for a foul on Afif, but Jahanbakhsh still came close to forcing extra time by hitting the post in the 14th minute of stoppage time.



Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
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Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)

The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.

Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.

During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.

Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”