5 Things... from Asian football

Jordan qualified for a first World Cup in June and, in December, reached the final of the FIFA Arab Cup, cementing their reputation as a serious player in Asia.

- JOHN DUERDEN

JORDAN END A GOOD YEAR ON A HIGH

Well-organised, hardworking and hard to beat, the men from Amman conceded just two goals in their first five games in Qatar, and comfortably topped a group featuring the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Kuwait (full results and group standings on page 98).

In the knockout rounds came hugely satisfying victories over Iraq and Saudi Arabia, both by a single goal to nil. The final was a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Morocco but coach Jamal Sellami was satisfied with the tournament. It was not just the results but winning tense knockout-round games in front of big crowds -40,000 in the quarterfinal and 60,000 in the semis.

The one downside was the cruciate ligament injury suffered by star striker Yazan Al Naimat, which could put his place at this summer's World Cup extravaganza in jeopardy.

CHINESE CONTINENTAL STRUGGLES CONTINUE

There are three Chinese teams in the AFC Champions League Elite but that may not be the case for much longer if they don't get their collective acts together. As the year ended, the trio occupied the bottom three places with a combined total of just two wins from 18 games.