TEHRAN – Iran national football team came from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1 in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.

In the match held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Hidemasa Morita managed to get the ball in open space after it clangs between some Iranian defenders just outside the box and found the back of the net in the 28th minute.

Mohammad Mohebbi equalized the match in the in the 55th minute after receiving a superb pass from Sardar Azmoun.

Iran put the Japanese team under pressure in the second half and created so many opportunities but they failed to capitalize on their chances.

In the added time Iran scored the second goal after Japan defender Ko Itakura brought down Hossein Kanani and captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh converted his penalty to seal the 2-1 win for Team Melli.

Iran will play the winners of Qatar and Uzbekistan in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Reporting by Masoud Hossein