Iran knocked out four-time champion Japan with a 2-1 victory in its Asian Cup quarterfinal clash after skipper Alireza Jahanbakhsh converted a penalty in stoppage time at Education City Stadium on Saturday.
With the match tied at 1-1 and headed to extra time, Iran won a penalty in the fourth minute of added time and Jahanbakhsh stepped up to blast the ball into the top corner, drawing a loud roar from the Iranian fans in the arena.
The victory also saw Iran avenge its 2019 semifinal loss to Japan and when the final whistle blew, the Iranian bench emptied onto the pitch and an emotional Jahanbakhsh dropped to the turf in relief while many players wept tears of joy.
Iran, seeking a record-equalling fourth Asian Cup title, had not beaten Japan in 19 years while its victory also extended Amir Ghalenoei’s unbeaten streak to 16 matches since he took charge in March.
“Iran should be proud of their sons, they gave everything they had for their people. I think the result can be a turning point for Iranian football,” Ghalenoei told reporters.
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Iran will find out its semifinal opponent later on Saturday when defending champion Qatar takes on Uzbekistan. Jordan plays South Korea in the other semifinal.
After a cagey start to a physical contest, Japan took the lead through Hidemasa Morita who made a run past four defenders before beating Alireza Beiranvand in goal to silence the Iran fans in the stadium.
But the volume went up when Iran equalised 10 minutes into the second half with a sublime move where Sardar Azmoun played the ball through to Mohammad Mohebi, who ran around his marker before slipping his shot past Suzuki into the bottom corner.
Japan had dominated possession in the first half but it was Iran who controlled proceedings after the equaliser as it initiated wave after wave of attacks and the pressure finally paid off in second-half added time.
Japan’s Ko Itakura made a mess of a clearance in the 94th minute and as he tried to recover, he tripped Hossein Kanani in the box and the referee immediately pointed to the spot, with Jahanbakhsh sending a missile into the top corner.
“I’d like to congratulate Iran. Unfortunately we have to leave the tournament now at the quarter-final stage. I feel sorry for our fans and everyone involved in Japanese football,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said.
“I regret I couldn’t give the earthquake victims a happier moment. I feel responsible for the result.
“We have to improve in many aspects, we conceded a goal in all five matches in this tournament. If you don’t keep a clean sheet you can’t win... We couldn’t handle the pressure they put on our defence.”
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