Late penalty sees Iran beat Japan to enter Asian Cup semifinal 🇮🇷

Iran secured a 2-1 triumph over Japan in the Asian Cup quarterfinals at Education City Stadium, knocking out the four-times champions. The decisive moment came in stoppage time when skipper Alireza Jahanbakhsh successfully converted a penalty kick.
This victory marked Iran's first win against Japan in 19 years and extended the unbeaten streak of their coach, Amir Ghalenoei, to 16 matches since he assumed control in March.
The match began cautiously, with a physical struggle between the two teams. Japan initially took the lead through Hidemasa Morita's goal, maneuvering past four defenders to beat goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and silence the Iranian fans.
However, Iran leveled the score 10 minutes into the second half with a brilliant play. Sardar Azmoun set up Mohammad Mohebi, who skillfully evaded his marker before slotting the ball past Suzuki into the bottom corner.
After the equalizer, Iran took control of the game, launching a series of relentless attacks. The pressure paid off in added time of the second half when Japan's Ko Itakura made a defensive error, tripping Hossein Kanani in the box. The referee promptly awarded a penalty, and Jahanbakhsh clinically dispatched the ball into the top corner.
Iran now awaits the outcome of the Qatar vs. Uzbekistan match to determine their semi-final opponent, while Jordan faces South Korea in the other semi-final.