Taeguk Warriors versus Team Melli

AFC – DOHA, The 22nd of January 2011 will see two giants of the Asian football scene clash at the Qatar Sports Club for the fifth time in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

Iran and Korea Republic have played each other four times in each edition since 1996, with all their meetings coming in the last eight.

Their first quarter-final match-up was in 1996 when Team Melli ran riot and demolished their rivals 6-2.

Four years later in Lebanon, both sides again reached the last eight and were drawn to play against each other.

Iran took the lead through a 71st minute Karim Bagheri strike and just as it was looking enough for a second Asian Cup victory over the Taeguk Warriors, Kim Sang-sik equalised at the death before Lee Dong-gook grabbed the extra-time winner.

Again in 2004, fate brought the two rivals together in the quarter-finals. This time luck was again with Iran and they kept Korea out of the semifinals with a thrilling 4-3 victory.

Their quarter-final tussle in 2007 was perhaps one of the most thrilling matches in the history of the tournament. The match remained goalless after 120 minutes of high-pressure action and went to penalties. The Taeguk Warriors’ goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae proved to be the difference and inspired the team to a heart-stopping 4-2 win.