Doha, January 31 (Xinhua) -- On the 31st, the Qatar men's Asian Cup ended the last two quarterfinals. Japan beat Bahrain 3-1 and Iran narrowly beat Syria 6-4 on penalties as the two highest-ranked Asian teams in FIFA face off in the quarter-finals.
Due to a shock defeat to Iraq in the group stage, Japan advanced to the round of 16 as the second place in Group D. Although Bahrain is the first team in Group E, the Japanese team, which is ranked first in Asia, has a clear advantage and dominates the opponent throughout the game. In the 31st minute of the game, every Xiong Shengya hit the post with a long-range shot from outside the penalty area, and Doan Ritsu scored a supplementary goal to break the deadlock for the Japanese team.
At the beginning of the second half, the Bahrain defenders were busy in the penalty area, and accidentally poked the ball to the unmarked Kubo Kenei when he cleared the siege, who turned and scored a low shot, and the Japanese team led 2:0.
Japan's Kenei Kubo (right) celebrates a goal with Ritsu Doan on January 31. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Haocheng The Bahrain team took advantage of Japan's own goal in the 64th minute to pull one back, and Bajir's header was saved by Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki Saiyan, and then Suzuki Caiyan collided with Ueda Kiyo, and the ball rolled into the net. Ueda quickly made amends and scored from a tight angle in the 72nd minute to seal the win 3-1.
In this game, Kaoru Mikasa returned from injury and came off the bench to make his debut in this Asian Cup, and he successfully passed many times on the wing. Kaoru Mikasa, known as the "King of Three Goals" by fans, has performed well in the Premier League this season, and his timely comeback has also added important weight to the Japanese team's title contention.
In the other game of the day, facing Syria, which participated in the knockout round of the Asian Cup for the first time in team history, the Iranian team took the initiative in the first half, and Taremi made a penalty in the 34th minute and hit the penalty, and the Iranian team led 1:0.
Syria equalised in the 64th minute: Savag burst into the box on the counter-attack and was brought down, referee **var (**assistant referee) replayed it and awarded a penalty to Syria, and Kribin calmly pushed it home.
Syria celebrates with fans after equalising from a penalty spot on January 31. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue Iran had many good chances to score in the final stages of the second half, but Azmoun and Taremi's shots were saved by Syrian goalkeeper Al-Madani. In stoppage time, Taremi was sent off for his second yellow card for a defensive foul. The Iranian team, which had one less man to fight, was forced to shrink their defense. Both teams failed to find the back of the net in extra-time and the game went to penalties.
In the second round of the penalty shootout, Yusuf's shot was saved by Iran's goalkeeper Beiranvande, and the rest of the players from both teams were all hit. Iran won 5-3 on penalties and eliminated Syria 6-4 on aggregate.
Iran goalkeeper Berranvand (left) celebrates after a match on January 31. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Han So far, the quarterfinals of this Asian Cup have all been produced, Tajikistan will play against Jordan, Australia will face South Korea, Uzbekistan will challenge Qatar, and Japan will face Iran. The quarterfinals of the Asian Cup will be played on February 2.