In the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, Iran secured a 2-1 win over Japan, who had previously been champions four times. The deciding goal was scored by Iran’s captain, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, with a penalty kick in stoppage time at Qatar’s Education City Stadium.
For 19 years, Iran had been unable to defeat Japan, but their recent win also marked Amir Ghalenoei’s unbeaten record of 16 consecutive matches since he became the coach in March.
At the beginning of a tense and physical match, Japan scored first thanks to Hidemasa Morita’s impressive run past four defenders. He then defeated goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, causing the Iranian fans in the stadium to fall silent.
However, Iran managed to score a goal 10 minutes into the second half through a remarkable passing play. Sardar Azmoun passed the ball to Mohammad Mohebi, who skillfully evaded his opponent and slotted the ball past Suzuki into the bottom corner.
In the first half, Japan had majority of the possession, but in the second half after the equalizer, Iran took over and continuously launched attacks. This eventually resulted in a goal during added time in the second half.
In the 94th minute, Japan’s Ko Itakura had a mishap while attempting to clear the ball. As he tried to regain control, he accidentally tripped Hossein Kanani in the penalty box. The referee quickly awarded a penalty kick, and Jahanbakhsh took a powerful shot that flew into the top corner.
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Later on Saturday, Iran will discover their semi-final opponents as Qatar, the reigning champions, face Uzbekistan. In the other semi-final, Jordan will play against South Korea.
Source: theguardian.com
