Abu Dhabi: As Japan prepare to face Qatar in Friday’s AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final, the-AFC.com takes a look back at how the Samurai Blue have reached the title showdown.
Japan 3-2 Turkmenistan
Group Stage - January 9: Al Nahyan Stadium
Japan came from behind and survived a late Turkmenistan rally to seal a 3-2 Group F win over their Central Asian opponents with Ritsu Doan bagging his side’s vital third goal.
Oman 0-1 Japan
Group Stage - January 13: Zayed Sports City Stadium
Japan qualified for the knockout phase after Genki Haraguchi’s first-half penalty helped the Samurai Blue seal a narrow 1-0 win over a resilient Oman.
Group F Matchday Three: Japan vs Uzbekistan
Japan 2-1 Uzbekistan
Group Stage – January 17: Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium
Goals from Yoshinori Muto and Tsukasa Shiotani secured Japan’s 2-1 win over Uzbekistan as the four-time champions of Asia set up a Round of 16 meeting with Saudi Arabia.
Round of 16: Japan vs Saudi Arabia
Japan 1-0 Saudi Arabia
Round of 16 – January 21: Sharjah Stadium
Japan stayed on track for a record-extending fifth title after defender Takehiro Tomiyasu's thumping header helped them defeat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Sharjah.
Quarter-final: Vietnam vs Japan
Vietnam 0-1 Japan
Quarter-finals – January 24: Al Maktoum Stadium
Japan advanced to the semi-finals after a 56th minute Doan penalty – awarded after the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) – saw them beat Vietnam 1-0.
Semi-final: IR Iran vs Japan
Islamic Republic of Iran 0-3 Japan
Semi-finals: January 28: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
Yuya Osako returned to Japan’s starting line-up to score a second-half brace and seal the Samurai Blue’s spot in the final thanks to a 3-0 win over the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Preview - Final: Japan v Qatar
Japan’s UAE 2019 record
Played 6, Won 6 Goals Scored 11, Goals Conceded 3
Top Scorer: Yuya Osako (4): The Werder Bremen star has bagged a brace twice in the competition so far, scoring doubles against Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Source: the-afc.com
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