Qatar, Feb 01 (News On Japan) - In the ongoing Asian Cup held in Qatar, Japan, ranked 17th in the world, is set to face Iran in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Febuary 3rd. Japan, aiming for its fifth championship and first in three tournaments, advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Bahrain 3-1 in the round of 16 on the 31st.
The match that determined Japan's next opponent was between Iran and Syria, which concluded in a 1-1 draw after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout where Iran triumphed over Syria with a score of 5-3. Consequently, Japan is now slated to play against Iran.
Iran, ranked 21st globally and just behind Japan in Asia, has advanced to this stage with a clean sweep of victories in the group league. The upcoming match against Iran will be Japan's first encounter since the semifinals of the previous Asian Cup, five years ago. The historical head-to-head record between the two teams stands at six wins, six losses, and five draws each. The quarterfinal match between Japan and Iran is scheduled to take place at 8:30 PM on the 3rd.
Source: NHK