The AFC Asian Cup being hosted by Qatar has been enriched by surprises, including first-time participant Tajikistan’s march to the quarterfinals and Jordan’s win over Iraq. Palestine made it to the round of 16 for the first time and gave defending champions Qatar a scare, before losing 2-1.
Questions
1) Oday Dabbagh starred in Palestine’s emphatic 3-0 win over Hong Kong striking two goals and followed it up with the opening goal against Qatar in the round of 16. How did he make history in 2021, marking a first for a homegrown Palestinian player who started his club career in the West Bank?
2) Which country was allowed to join the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2006 and went on to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2015?
3) This country was the surprise winner at the 2007 Asian Cup in the midst of war at home. The triumph is considered one of the biggest underdog wins in football, though it was the silver medallist at the 2006 Asian Games and finished fourth at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
4) Which country, which does not exist today, took part in the first two Asian Cups in 1956 and 1960?
5) Which country’s best performance at the Asian Cup was a second-place finish in 1964? At the time it was an Asian footballing power with two Asian Games gold medals and fourth place at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Its footballing fortunes have declined precipitously from the 1970s.
6) This 39-year-old who led his team in the latest Asian Cup in Qatar has scored 93 goals for his country, making him third after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the list of active players with the most number of goals in international football. Who and which country?
7) Syria’s team at the 2023 Asian Cup has three players (Jalil Elias, Ibrahim Hesar, Ezequiel Ham) who were born and raised in another country. They were called up to play for Syria because of ancestral links. Which country? (this country has also had a president of Syrian descent)
8) This Central Asian country’s had four players of Ghanaian origin represent them in international football. One of them, Joel Kojo, scored the lone goal by this country in the group stage at the 2023 Asian Cup. Which country?
9) 1968 saw a contentious match between the host nation and an opponent who faced a hostile crowd. Vinyl records and chicken heads were hurled at the opposing team’s players as the crowd demonstrated its anger. The host team won 2-1. Name the two countries.
10) This country won the Asian Cup in 1964 when it hosted the event. It was expelled by the Asian Football Confederation in 1974. Which country?
11) This country was the runner-up in the 1968 Asian Cup in what remains their only appearance in the event. This was during a golden period for the country in football that lasted from 1965 until 1973. They won the Asian Games gold medal in 1966 and 1970 and five consecutive titles at the Southeast Asian Peninsula Games. Which country?
12) This host country’s surprise win in the 1992 Asian Cup was a turning point in its football history. It accelerated the creation of a professional league in the country. It’s won three more Asian Cups since then, making it the most successful country in the competition. Which country?
13) As the 1980s dawned this country became the top footballing power in Asia, reaching the quarterfinals at the Moscow Olympics, winning the 1980 Asian Cup and qualifying for the 1982 World Cup. It also won five out of six Gulf Cups between 1970 and 1982. But its footballing fortunes declined steeply from the 1990s and it did not qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup. Which country?
14) The 2004 Asian Cup final saw the host team lose 3-1 to an opponent with whom it has a tense history. One of the winning goals was accompanied by a handball controversy and an angry crowd rioted at the end, throwing bottles and burning the winning team’s flags. Name the two countries (the winner had faced hostility and jeers from local crowds throughout the tournament)
15) Host fans threw shoes and water bottles onto the field in a politically charged Asian Cup semifinal in 2019, as the other team decisively beat the hosts 4-0. It went on to win the event for the first time. Name the two countries.
16) Attaa Jaber, a Palestinian citizen of Israel switched from representing Israel to Palestine in 2023. How did he make history with Israel’s under-21 football team in 2015? (Jaber is part of the Palestine team at the 2023 Asian Cup).
17) The football federation of this country, a surprise success story at the 2023 Asian Cup, is headed by its longtime president’s son. The son is also mayor of the capital city, chairman of the upper house of parliament and is widely expected to succeed his father. Earlier he was a striker and captained a football club. Which country?
This is my fourth football-themed quiz. Here are the answers to the three quizzes I published at the time of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
2. Australia
3. Iraq
4. Malaya
5. India
6. Sunil Chhetri
7. Paraguay
13. Kuwait