The Japanese national team probably imagined it differently: the co-favorites were eliminated from the tournament against Iran.
Iran surprisingly knocked record winners Japan out of the tournament in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. In the duel between the World Cup participants, the outsiders prevailed 2-1 (0-1) and can continue to hope for their first title since 1976.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh (90th minute+6) scored with a penalty kick shortly before the end. The Mönchengladbach Bundesliga professional Ko Itakura was clumsy in the penalty area.
Mohammad Mohebi (55th) equalized Japan’s lead through Kaoru Mitoma (28th) after an assist from ex-Leverkusen player Sardar Azmoun. In the semi-finals, Iran will play against Qatar or Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 p.m.). Iran won the Asian Cup in 1969, 1972 and 1976.
In addition to Gladbach’s Itakura, four-time tournament winners Japan also had Hiroki Ito (VfB Stuttgart) and Ritsu Doan (SC Freiburg) from the Bundesliga in the starting line-up. Bochum’s Takuma Asano came on as a substitute.
2024-02-03 14:50:10
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