Iran 2-1 Japan.
Iran beat Japan despite being behind and struggling with fitness issues. The match was worthy of being considered an early final of the 2023 Asian Cup. Both teams played with dedication after the opening whistle.
Japan were better thanks to their ability to deploy the ball systematically, while Iran had to use many long balls towards Sardar Azmoun's position.
Japan opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Hidemasa Morita dribbled boldly in midfield, bypassing Iranian defenders before beating goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Iran team beat Japan.
The Iranian team tried hard to find an equalizer. However, Japan continuously surrounded and neutralized the coordination of the West Asian team.
In the second half, coach Amir Ghalenoei asked his players to play more risky and approach faster so that Japan would not have much time to control the ball. This tactic was effective when coach Hajime Moriyasu and his players could not create many opportunities.
The Iranian team found an equalizer in the 55th minute. Sardar Azmoun skillfully passed the ball to Mohammad Mohebi, who finished successfully.
The equalizer helped Iran play with excitement. They forced Japan to defend. Sardar Azmoun had 2 chances, one of which he put the ball into the net of goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. However, the semi-automatic offside technology denied this goal.
Just as the match seemed to be entering extra time, Itakura fouled Kanani in the penalty area. Jahanbakhsh made no mistake, scoring the winning goal for Iran from the 11m mark.
The West Asian team won the right to enter the semi-finals, facing the winner of the match between Qatar and Uzbekistan.
Result: Iran 2-1 Japan
Score
Iran: Mohebi (55'), Jahanbakhsh (90+6')
Japan: Morita (28')
Iran vs Japan starting lineup
Iran: Beiranvand, Mohammadi, Khalilzadeh, Ezatolahi, Cheshml, Ghayedi, Azmoun, Ghoddos, Ebrahimi, Kanani, Jahanbakhsh, Mohebi, Rezaeian.
Japan: Zion Suzuki, Ko Itakuba, Maeda, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Morita, Seiya Maikuma, Takefusa Kubo, H. Ito, Wataru Endo, Ritsu Doan, Ayase Ueda.
Van Hai
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