Final Turns Into Extra Time Thriller
The Arab Cup final between Jordan and Morocco at Lusail Stadium went to extra time after a 2-2 draw at full time on Thursday evening.
Morocco opened the scoring through Osama Tanan in the fourth minute, before Jordan equalized in the 48th minute with a header from Ali Alwan.
In the 68th minute, the Jordan team went ahead from a penalty converted by Ali Alwan, before Morocco leveled through Abdul Razak Hamdallah in the 87th minute.
In the 90+8th minute, a dramatic moment as Hamdallah went down inside the box, appealing for a penalty for Morocco, but the referee waved play on.
But the referee allowed play to continue, and the Nashama surged forward on a counterattack, with Ali Alwan sprinting past two Moroccan defenders toward the keeper, only for Mehdi Benabid to deny him a late winner.
Mehdi Benabid again produced a key save as the drama continued, sending the match into extra time and leaving both sides with a share of the spoils.
Punchlines: If suspense paid admission, tonight's game would fund a small country. And in football timing, that minute deserves an encore more than any pop star ever did.
