Jordan achieved its first advancement to the quarterfinals in a finals week with a narrow 1-0 win over Tajikistan in the recently concluded Asian Cup quarterfinals.
Jordan stuck to a 4-4-2 formation in the face of the Tajik attack, defending tightly while maintaining possession and the ability to create scoring chances.
Jordan drew 2-2 with South Korea in the group stage, and I presume they will adopt a similarly tight tactic to contain South Korea's forward space in this match. Expect Jordan to counterattack on the wings, and whether or not Elamadi can maintain possession in front of South Korea's centerpieces will be the difference between winning and losing the match.
South Korea equalized in the last eight thanks to a penalty scored by Hwang Hee-chan in stoppage time and added a second in extra time thanks to Son Heung-min's brilliant free kick to beat Australia 2-1 in dramatic fashion and advance to the quarterfinals.
However, Korea failed to press their opponents effectively in the first half, and even when they gained possession, there was not enough space and pressure between players. Despite winning the match, the Australians also missed a few good scoring opportunities.
South Korea is expected to have more time of possession in the upcoming matches than they did in the group stage, but they will have to be wary of Jordan's quick counter-attacks. Kim Min-Ja's suspension will have a major impact on the team, and the player who takes his place will have to shoulder the burden of stopping Jordanian players from creating chances.
