Iran beat Japan 2-1 for a place in AFC Asian Cup 2023 semifinal

Iran qualified for the semifinals of the Asian Cup and eliminated Japan with a thrilling stoppage-time penalty.

Qatar’s Education City Stadium Iran, encouraged by thousands of boisterous fans, upset the favorites Japan and secured a place in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 semifinals with a thrilling 2-1 victory.

Iran’s captain, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, scored one of the most iconic goals in his nation’s Asian Cup history on Wednesday, sending Team Melli to the second semifinal in a tournament that is now renowned for its dramatic finish. The goal came in stoppage time.

To the joy of the sizable Iranian population seated behind the goal, Japan made multiple runs towards Iran’s goal in the first few minutes of play but was unable to convert any of their opportunities.

With his goal in the 28th minute, Hidemasa Morita altered that, and the few Japanese supporters dispersed throughout the stadium began to feel their presence. That didn’t stop Team Melli’s fans, though, as they increased the volume of their coordinated chants and applause.

Given both teams’ prior performance in the competition, their FIFA rankings, and their potent lineups, the match was predicted to be the tournament’s early final. However, on a cool Saturday afternoon at Education City Stadium in Qatar, Iran upset the four-time champions.

After the break, the team—one of the tournament’s oldest squads—pulled up their socks and started a back-and-forth game with the Samurai Blue in an attempt to equalize.

It is possible that they were trying to win over their coach, Amir Ghalenoei, who had chastised the team for failing to score multiple times against Syria during their round-of-16 encounter on Thursday.

Ghalenoei had stated, “I’m very happy with the discipline we showed, but I’m not really happy with the performance of a few players.”

Ten minutes into the second half, Sardar Azmoun’s through pass was tucked into the Japanese goal by Mohammed Mohebi, giving Iran its first goal and sending its supporters into a frenzy. Their steadfast assistance had at last paid off.

Over two thirds of the onlookers were either holding Iranian flags or dressed in Iranian national colors. Some had traveled from across the Arabian Gulf to support their side, such as Wafai Salar.

He traveled from the western region of Lorestan to Doha ten days ago in order to support his side during the tournament’s later rounds.

Before the game, Salar said to Al Jazeera, “We must not doubt our team.”

The team did not feel the loss of their great striker Mehdi Taremi, who was sidelined due to two yellow cards in the match against Syria, according to 72-year-old superfan Mohamed Mirza.

He exclaimed, “We have 24 Taremis in the squad,” following the game.

Before starting to cheer for Iran once more, Mirza declared, “I have been living in Qatar for decades and have seen three Asian Cups here, so now the team owe me a trophy.”

Indeed, by guarding their goal and then making runs into the Japanese half, Ghalenoei’s team proved they were up to the task against the overwhelming favorites, Japan. Late in stoppage time, Iran won one of these and was awarded a penalty.

The team did not feel the loss of their great striker Mehdi Taremi, who was sidelined due to two yellow cards in the match against Syria, according to 72-year-old superfan Mohamed Mirza.

He exclaimed, “We have 24 Taremis in the squad,” following the game.

Before starting to cheer for Iran once more, Mirza declared, “I have been living in Qatar for decades and have seen three Asian Cups here, so now the team owe me a trophy.”

Indeed, by guarding their goal and then making runs into the Japanese half, Ghalenoei’s team proved they were up to the task against the overwhelming favorites, Japan. Late in stoppage time, Iran won one of these and was awarded a penalty.

Tears streamed down his cheek as he told Al Jazeera, “I peeled the skin off my fingers because I was so nervous before the penalty was taken.”

Although Ario, a Canadian-Iranian citizen, has never visited his parents’ native nation, he hopes to play for Team Melli in the future.

He declared, “I want to be like them one day because I get so excited every time I see them play.”

When Ghalenoei’s team plays the winner of the Qatar vs. Uzbekistan quarterfinal in four days, they will give Ario and the millions of Iran supporters around the world another opportunity to experience the emotional roller coaster.

If the three-time champions win the trophy on February 10, it might even be a case of third time fortunate for seasoned players like Mirza.