Iran’s Taremi among Biggest Goal Threats at AFC Asian Cup

The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 promises plenty of goals as Qatar is set to host 51 thrilling matches in the continental showpiece, starting with the curtain raiser between the hosts and Lebanon on Friday and culminating in the final on February 10.

The tournament, first played in 1956, has over the years witnessed plenty of incredible attackers – be it Iran legend Ali Daei in 1996, Iraq's inspirational leader Younis Mahmoud in 2007 or Almoez Ali who guided Qatar to their very first Asian crown in 2019.

The 18th edition of the tournament is also not short of attacking talents who will try to make an indelible mark in Asia, so the-AFC.com took a look at five individuals who could prove to be the biggest goal threats at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.

Taremi is in the best form of his life for Iran and he is in Qatar trying to make some amends. The striker scored thrice as Team Melli reached the semi-finals in 2019 but lost 3-0 to Japan with Taremi suspended for the crucial fixture after picking up his second yellow card in the quarter-final win over China.

The 31-year-old amassed an impressive 12 international goals during the 2023 calendar year, which included hat-tricks against Afghanistan and Kyrgyz Republic in the CAFA (Central Asian Football Association) Nations Cup in June and goals against Hong Kong and Uzbekistan in November.

Taremi also remains a key player for FC Porto and won the Primeira Liga Golden Boot last season with a superb 22-goal haul as he continues to collect silverware in his fifth season in Portugal – all of which goes to show that he will be one to watch in Qatar.