Hiroki Ito was eliminated with Japan. Photo: IMAGO/Sebastian Frej
Hiroki Ito from VfB Stuttgart and Japan were surprisingly eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. Against Iran, a Mönchengladbach Bundesliga professional scored the decisive penalty in stoppage time.
Iran surprisingly knocked record winners Japan out of the tournament in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup. In the duel between the World Cup participants, the outsiders prevailed 2-1 (0-1) and can continue to hope for their first title since 1976. Alireza Jahanbakhsh (90.+6) scored with a penalty kick shortly before the end. The Mönchengladbach Bundesliga professional Ko Itakura was clumsy in the penalty area.
Mohammad Mohebi (55th) equalized Japan’s lead through Kaoru Mitoma (28th) after an assist from ex-Leverkusen player Sardar Azmoun. In the semi-finals, Iran will play against Qatar or Uzbekistan on Wednesday (4 p.m.). Iran won the Asian Cup in 1969, 1972 and 1976.
In addition to Itakura from Gladbach, Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart) and Ritsu Doan (Freiburg) from the Bundesliga were in the starting line-up for four-time tournament winners Japan. Bochum’s Takuma Asano came on as a substitute.