Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei has said that the 2023 Asian Cup may represent the "last dance" for several members of his veteran squad ahead of their semifinal clash with the host nation and defending champions Qatar on Wednesday.
Iran's win over Japan in the quarterfinal extended Ghalenoei's unbeaten streak to 16 games since he returned for his second stint in charge of the national team in March.
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"I think football is like life," Ghalenoei said through an FFIRI translator on Wednesday. "You have to use the opportunities that we have.
"For some of the players that we have in our squad, yes, maybe it's going to be the last chance, even the last dance, to reach something. We are standing in a very sensitive part of history.
"We have a very good chance to make history for Iranian football and the Iranian people, so we have to use our opportunity. We have to give everything to beat Qatar and to reach the final of the tournament."
Featuring established European-based players such as Feyenoord's Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Brentford's Saman Ghoddos, Porto's Mehdi Taremi, and Roma's Sardar Azmoun, as well as strong contingents from domestic powers Sepahan, Persepolis, and Esteghlal, the Iranian team is one of the most experienced in the tournament. Eleven members of the 26-player squad have over 50 international caps, with just four possessing ten or fewer.
But, this also means that Iran is one of the oldest squads in the tournament. Mohammad Mohebi, 25, who scored the equaliser against Japan, was the youngest player in Iran's starting XI and is one of just four players in the squad who are below the age of 26.
With Taremi returning from suspension and just over 72 hours of rest between games -- something midfielder Saeed Ezatolahi voiced his displeasure with, following similar Iranian complaints before the Japan fixture -- Ghalenoei flagged that there would be changes to his side to account for the challenge that Akram Afif and Qatar present.
Ezatolahi also questioned the news that Kuwaiti official Ahmad Al Ali would take charge of the match.
"He's an Arabian guy," he said through a translator. "We're wondering how it's possible that they [appointed] an Arabian guy as the ref for tomorrow's match."
For his part, Qatar coach Tintín Márquez, who only replaced Carlos Queiroz as Qatar coach in early December, said he paid little heed to the referee for his side's games, focusing instead on his team and what they need to do to reverse their poor record against Iran.
Iran defeated Qatar under Queiroz 4-0 at the Jordan International Tournament last October, part of a six-gaming winning running against the Asian Cup hosts in which they've outscored their foes 11-1.
"Reaching this level is an accomplishment by itself but our aspiration is getting larger," Qatar midfielder Tarek Salman said through a translator.
"We are more motivated now to reach the final. It's going to be tough against Iran, it requires maintaining full focus from the first minute to the last minute."
Large home crowds have followed the defending champions throughout the Asian Cup, despite their disappointing showing at a home World Cup 14 months ago, where they were eliminated with three straight losses.
"Not reaching the final is not considered a failure," Márquez said through a translator. "This is the second time we have reached the semifinal and we won the tournament in 2019. Yes, we have a passion and desire to reach the final and be crowned but we cannot say that not reaching the final is a failure.
"There are big names that have been eliminated. Australia, Japan and other big names all did not qualify for the semifinal. So we cannot say it is a failure, not reaching the final."