DOHA: Forward Ayase Ueda’s double strike secured a 3-1 victory for Japan over Indonesia to confirm the Samurai Blue’s spot in the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 as Group D runners-up at Al Thumama Stadium last night.
The Feyenoord striker put the four-time champions in control early on when he opened the scoring in the sixth minute from a penalty kick after he was wrestled to the ground by Indonesian captain Jordi Amat.
Referee Khamis Al Marri initially allowed play to continue before being called to the pitch-side monitor to confirm the spot kick.
The early lead allowed Japan to control possession and press the Indonesians into defensive errors with promising winger Takefusa Kubo missing several good chances to double the lead in the first half.
In the seventh minute of the second half, Ueda found the net once more, capping off an orchestrated team play starting with Takehiro Tomiyasu feeding Ritsu Doan in the midfield.
Doan then sprinted through the centre, receiving a well-timed return pass from Kento Nakamura to set up Ueda with the simplest of finishes at the far post.
Indonesian defender Justin Hubner scored an own goal in the 87th minute before his compatriot Sandy Walsh struck at the other end a minute into added time.
The result saw Japan finish three points behind Iraq who emerged as group champions after collecting maximum points by edging Vietnam 3-2 in another match, while Indonesia took third place and will have to wait for the conclusion of the group phase today to determine if they will advance to the last 16.
Meanwhile, Iraq emerged victorious in a thrilling encounter against Vietnam at the Jassim Bin Hamad with striker Aymen Hussein coming off from the bench and scoring a brace to help the Lions of Mesopotamia maintain its winning record in the campaign.
Vietnam thought they had secured the lead in the 17th minute when Iraqi defender Zaid Tahseen inadvertently netted an own goal while attempting to clear Vo Minh Trong’s cross, however, VAR intervention nullified the goal.
The deadlock was eventually broken in the 40th minute when Bui Hoang Viet Anh scored a well-placed volley from Khuat Van Khang’s free-kick before the Golden Star Warriors faced a setback just before halftime as Khuat Van Khang received a second yellow card, reducing them to 10 players.
Eager to capitalise on the advantage, Iraq manager Jesus Casas introduced forwards Ali Jasim and Aymen Hussein at the start of the second half which saw an immediate impact as defender Rebin Solaka headed his first international goal from Jasim’s corner kick to level the score in the 47th minute.
Hussein secured Iraq’s second goal by heading in a cross from Jasim for his fourth goal of the campaign in the 73rd minute before his spot-kick in the 83rd minute was denied by the woodwork.
Vietnam led by Philippe Troussier managed to equalise in the first minute of stoppage time through substitute Ngyuen Quang Hai but it was heartbreak for the Southeast Asian side when a last-minute penalty conceded by Vo Minh Trong allowed Hussein to secure Iraq’s winning goal.
Team standings after last night’s matches:
Group A
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Qatar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Tajikistan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| China | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
Group B
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Uzbekistan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Syria | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| India | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Group C
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Iran | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| UAE | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Palestine | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Hong Kong | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
Group D
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Iraq | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
| Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 6 |
| Indonesia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Vietnam | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
Group E
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Jordan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| South Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Bahrain | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| MALAYSIA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Group F
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Thailand | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Oman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16). – BERNAMA
