On February 1, the Asian Cup 1 8 finals ushered in the last two matchups. Japan easily eliminated Bahrain, and Iran and Syria went to penalties.
In Japan vs. Bahrain, Japan controlled the tempo of the game and organised the attack, but the opposition's full-line contraction defense made it difficult for them to penetrate the penalty area.
It wasn't until the 31st minute that Kokuma Seiya's long-range shot hit the neutral post, and Ritsu Doan scored to give Japan the lead. Shortly after the start of the second half, Bahrain made a mistake at the back and Hisashi scored with a low shot to extend Japan's advantage.
In the 64th minute, during Bahrain's corner kick attack, Ayaka Suzuki collided with Ueda Kiyo and leaked into his own goal. In the 72nd minute, Ueda Kiyo scored a powerful shot from a small angle to seal the victory for Japan. In the end, Japan defeated Bahrain 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the first half of the Iran match against Syria, Iran was in complete control but failed to score. Until the 34th minute, when Usu committed a foul in the penalty area, Iran won a penalty, and Taremi hit the penalty to break the deadlock for Iran.
The Syrians kept a tight defense, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake and seize the opportunity to counterattack. In the 64th minute of the second half, Savag stepped forward to foul the goalkeeper, and Iran won another penalty, which Khribin hit to equalize the score.
It was 1-1 at the end of regulation time and no goals in extra time. In the penalty shootout, Iran finally eliminated Syria 6-4.
In this way, the quarterfinals of this Asian Cup were all released, and Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Tajikistan and Iran advanced. It is worth mentioning that the three group winners of Iraq, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were eliminated.