Japan into Asian Cup quarters as Iran stumbles

Japan into Asian Cup quarters as Iran stumbles

Reuters, Beijing

Holder Japan came from behind to beat Thailand and book its
place in the Asian Cup quarterfinals on Saturday as Iran fought
back to snatch a controversial draw with Oman.

Japan became the second team to reach the last eight after
recovering from the shock of an early goal to beat the injury-hit
Thais 4-1 before 40,000 fans in punishing heat and humidity at
the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center.

Thailand stunned Japan with a superb opener after 12 minutes,
Sutee Suksomkit jinking clear on the edge of the area before
lashing a ferocious drive into the roof of the net.

But Japan, which is missing several European-based stars
because of injury or the Olympics, quickly recovered to level
before eventually overwhelming the Thais in the closing stages.

Shunsuke Nakamura curled in a fine 21st-minute free-kick to
equalize before defender Yuji Nakazawa put his team ahead on 57
minutes, rifling home a low shot through a crowded penalty to
make it 2-1.

Takashi Fukunishi added a third on 69 minutes, directing a
firm downward header from a corner past Thailand goalkeeper Kosin
Hathairatanakul, before Nakazawa completed the rout two minutes
from time.

The victory left Japan with maximum points from two matches in
Group D and guaranteed them a quarterfinal berth, after Iran
recovered from two goals down to force a 2-2 draw against Oman
with an injury-time equalizer.

The result means Iran needs only a point from its final match
against Japan on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals, a scenario
that looked unlikely as they trailed 2-0 to Oman after a brace by
talented striker Imad Ali.

Iran coach Branko Ivankovic could only look on in horror as
his powerful side led by former Bayern Munich center-forward Ali
Daei fell into disarray early in the second half.

Defenders Rahman Rezaei and Ali Badavi were involved in an
extraordinary on-pitch bust-up, facing off and slapping each
other before quickly being separated by teammates.

The turning point came on 62 minutes, when Mohammed Nosrati
escaped a red card for a blatant stamp on the back of Oman
goalscorer Ali as he lay helpless on the pitch.

With Oman's players still incensed that Nosrati's foul had
somehow gone unpunished by Bahrain referee Abdul Rahman, Iran
swept upfield and pulled a goal back through Ali Karimi to make
it 2-1.

Oman appeared to be set for victory however, carving out a
string of openings in the final 15 minutes that should have put
the game beyond the Iranians reach.

But in the third minute of injury time, Asian player of the
year Mehdi Mahdavikia floated a teasing free-kick into the Oman
penalty box and Nosrati -- lucky to still be on the pitch --
nodded home to equalize.

Oman coach Milan Macala said Nosrati's trampling of Ali had
distracted his players at a crucial time, opening the way for
Karimi's crucial strike barely a minute later.

"It was a very, very bad foul that caused us to lose
concentration, but one must continue to play," said Macala. "If
we had a little more experience we would have won. We played
excellent in the first half.

Macala refused to criticize the performance of Bahrain referee
Abdul Rahman. "Referees aren't my problem," he said. "I'm a
professional coach. There are many people upstairs who are
responsible for the referees."

Ali meanwhile was adamant that Nosrati should have been given
his marching orders. "It was a foul, he should have got a red
card," Ali said.