2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D
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Group D of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the
2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 201 ...
. The group's first round of matches were played on 12 January, the second round on 16 January, and the final round on 20 January. All six group matches were played at venues in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The group consisted of title holders
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
,
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
. Japan and Iraq advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Jordan and Palestine were eliminated.


Teams

;Notes


Standings

In the
quarter-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
: *Japan advanced to play United Arab Emirates (runner-up of
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
). *Iraq advanced to play Iran (winner of
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
).


Matches


Japan vs Palestine

Japan kicked off the defence of their
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...
title as
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
's side notched up an empathic 4–0 win over tournament debutants and rivals Palestine at
Newcastle Stadium Newcastle Stadium is a greyhound racing and former motorcycle speedway stadium, located on The Fossway, Byker, Newcastle. Racing at the stadium takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The circumference of the greyhound tr ...
.
Yasuhito Endō is a Japanese former footballer who played as a midfielder. Endō's playing career unfolded entirely within Japan, where he was associated with Gamba Osaka for 20 years. He made his senior international debut in 2002, representing Japan in th ...
,
Shinji Okazaki is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is best known for winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016. Internationally, he is Japan's third all-time top goalscorer with 50 goals. Club career Shim ...
,
Keisuke Honda Keisuke Honda is a Japanese former professional footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. A versatile player, Honda usually played as an attacking midfielder, but could also play as a winger, a false nine or as a deep-lying playmak ...
and
Maya Yoshida is a Japanese professional footballer who captains and plays as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Yoshida formerly played for the Japan national football team, Japan national team ...
were all on the scorer as the four-time continental champions showed their class to pick up all three points on a blustery evening. Palestine, appearing in the competition for the first time after
winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * Winning (film), ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * ''Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Fo ...
the
AFC Challenge Cup The AFC Challenge Cup was an international football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member countries that were categorised as "emerging countries" in the "Vision Asia" programme. It was created by former AFC president Mohammed ...
in May 2014, finished the game with 10 men after
Ahmed Harbi Ahmed Harbi Mahajna (, ; born 16 July 1986), simply known as Ahmed Harbi, is a Palestinian footballer playing for Maccabi Ahi Iksal as a full back, having previously played in the Israeli league. International career He received his first call ...
was sent-off for a late challenge on
Shinji Kagawa Shinji Kagawa (, ''Kagawa Shinji'' ; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer and football manager who plays as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time. Kagawa became the first midfie ...
that earned him a second booking after being cautioned in first half injury time. Aguirre made his intentions clear from the start by fielding a full strength line-up against Palestine and it took just eight minutes for the defending champions to notch their opening goal. Endo, earning his 149th cap for his country and making a Japanese record 18th appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, took aim from 25 yards out and his low left foot strike gave Ramzi Saleh little chance as it settled into the goalkeeper's bottom right corner. By the 25th minute, Japan had doubled their lead with Okazaki showing razor sharp reflexes to head Kagawa's shot from the edge of the area past Saleh. And just a minute before the half-time break Honda made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Kagawa was brought down by Mus'ab Al-Batat. Palestine saw little of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, although Ismail Al-Amour fashioned a rare opportunity five minutes before the break, only to drag his effort from the edge of the area across the face of goal. There was little let-up from Japan at the beginning of the second half with Endo trying his luck again from long distance – this time with his right foot – but Saleh was equal to the task, turning the ball around his right post. Seconds later, though, Yoshida headed home Japan's fourth, rising highest to nod in Kagawa's corner as the gulf in class between the teams became ever more apparent. Mahajna's sending off threatened to cause further problems for Palestine but, despite being down to 10 men, central defender
Abdelatif Bahdari Abdelatif Bahdari (; born 20 February 1984) is a Palestinian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Markaz Balata. From 2007 to 2021, he earned 79 caps for Palestine national football team. Club career Al-Wehdat Bahdari began hi ...
almost claimed a consolation goal eight minutes from time when his flying header went just wide.
Gōtoku Sakai is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Vissel Kobe. He was born in the United States but raised in Japan, where he represented internationally. Club career Early career Sakai was born in New York to a German mother and a J ...
and
Yoshinori Muto is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for Vissel Kobe. Muto started his career with J1 League club FC Tokyo in 2013 who he played with for three seasons. In May 2015, he signed for German club Mainz 05 wh ...
both tried their luck in the dying minutes to extend Japan's lead, but in the end the titleholders commenced their defence of the trophy in a convincing manner.


Jordan vs Iraq

Yaser Kasim Yaser Safa Kasim Al-Kadefaje (; born 10 May 1991) is an Iraqi former footballer who played as a midfielder. Early life At age 6 Kasim left Iraq with his family to Jordan and after spending a year in Jordan where he experienced his first taste o ...
scored a late winner as
2007 AFC Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its h ...
champions Iraq produced a gritty 1–0 victory over 10-man Jordan at Brisbane Stadium to move level on points with
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, and also became the first ever group stage loss of Jordanian team. Kasim struck with 13 minutes remaining in the crucial meeting between the Arab rivals ahead of their clash with Japan on 16 January. But while Iraq had more of the possession by a comfortable margin, both sides were starved for clear-cut chances in the opening half. Iraq thought they had created a chance in the 16th minute when Kasim picked out
Younis Mahmoud Younis Mahmoud Khalaf (; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward for the Iraq national football team, Iraq national team and is currently the ...
, but
Tareq Khattab Tareq Ziad Jabr Khattab () is a Jordanian footballer who plays as a defender for Jordanian Pro League club Al-Ramtha and the Jordan national team. International career Tareq first joined the senior national team a month before the 2012 WAFF ...
came to the rescue by snuffing out the iconic striker with a sliding tackle. Jordan coach
Ray Wilkins Raymond Colin Wilkins (14 September 1956 – 4 April 2018) was an English football player and coach. Born into a footballing family with his father and three brothers involved in the game, Wilkins played as a midfielder. He began his career a ...
had said a day earlier that if his team failed to qualify for the quarter-finals it would not be because of a lack of effort, and his troops proved the former
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and Chelsea midfielder right with an industrious performance right down to the final whistle. But equally, Jordan struggled over the last third of the pitch, missing that touch of creativity necessary to penetrate Iraq's defense as striker
Odai Al-Saify Odai Yusuf Ismaeel Al-Saify () is a Jordanian footballer who plays for Qadsia SC and the Jordan national football team. Club career Al-Saify started his career playing for Shabab Al-Ordon, in which he was loaned out to Al-Dhafra in the Unit ...
was free in front of goal a minute before the hour mark only to float a back-header over the crossbar. During the following sequence, Mohammad Mustafa had another chance for Jordan from the heart of the penalty area, but mishit the ball, shooting harmlessly into the arms of goalkeeper Jalal Hasan. But just when a draw appeared to be on the horizon, Iraq put an end to the stalemate in the 77th minute through Kasim, who slashed his way into the penalty area from right angle before pulling the trigger and seeing his shot deflected off Khattab to wrong-foot goalkeeper
Amer Shafi Amer Shafi Mahmoud Sabbah (; born 14 February 1982) is a Jordanian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Shafi began his career as a midfielder and later on became a goalkeeper. After playing many years for Al-Yarmouk, he j ...
. The momentum continued to swing in Iraq's favor as in the 84th minute Jordan defender
Anas Bani Yaseen Anas Walid Khaled Bani Yaseen () (born 29 November 1988) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Jordanian Pro League side Al-Hussein and the Jordan national team. International career Bani Yaseen make his inter ...
was given his marching orders after collecting a second booking for a late shoulder charge on
Saad Abdul-Amir Saad Abdul-Amir Luaibi Al-Zirjawi (; born 19 January 1992) is an Iraqi defensive midfielder who plays for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and for the Iraq national football team which he earned his first cap in 2010 at the age of 18. Saad started his career in ...
.


Palestine vs Jordan

Hamza Al-Dardour Hamza Ali Khaled Al-Dardour (; born 12 May 1991) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Jordanian Pro League club Al-Ramtha and the Jordan national team. Club career In 2015, Al-Dardour joined Saudi club Al Faisaly. ...
became only the fourth player in the
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
of the
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...
to score four goals in a single game as two-time quarter-finalists Jordan kept their knockout stage hopes alive with a resounding 5–1 win over Palestine. Yousef Al-Rawashdeh's eye-catching strike 12 minutes before half-time at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
settled any nerves for Jordan, who had previously not won a match since their final AFC Asian Cup qualifier in March 2013 having suffered a 1–0 defeat by
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in their tournament opener. And with recalled striker Al Dardour netting twice inside the final ten minutes of the first half before scoring twice inside the final 15 minutes, Jordan would remain in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
to face defending champions
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
on 20 January still in contention to maintain their 100% record of qualifying for the quarter-finals. Debutants Palestine, though, would travel to
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
to face Iraq facing an uphill battle to still progress having earlier lost 4–0 to Japan despite Jaka Ihbeisheh netting their historic first AFC Asian Cup goal with five minutes remaining. With both sides looking to bounce back from opening defeats,
2014 AFC Challenge Cup The 2014 AFC Challenge Cup was the fifth and the final edition of the AFC Challenge Cup, an international Association football, football competition for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) member nations that are mainly categorized as "emerging co ...
winners Palestine almost opened the scoring after just five minutes as only an alert one-handed save from Jordan goalkeeper
Amer Shafi Amer Shafi Mahmoud Sabbah (; born 14 February 1982) is a Jordanian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Shafi began his career as a midfielder and later on became a goalkeeper. After playing many years for Al-Yarmouk, he j ...
turned Hesham Salhe's vicious dipping strike from 25 yards onto the crossbar. Jordan did settle into the contest as the half progressed, although Palestine goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh remained largely untested as
Abdallah Deeb Abdallah Khaled Deeb Salim () is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Al-Salt. Personal life and family Abdallah is the son of former Jordanian football star Khaled Salim. He is married and has a daughter named Zain. ...
flashed an effort just wide of the post midway through the opening 45 minutes. But Saleh could do little 12 minutes before half-time as Jordan quickly worked the ball across and into the left hand corner of the penalty area for Ahmad, and with the midfielder given time to steady himself and pick his spot, he expertly curled the ball into the top corner past the despairing dive of the Palestine goalkeeper. Less than two minutes later Saleh was again beaten as the custodian was drawn out of position by Deeb as the striker charged into the area before the Jordan forward played the ball across the six yard area for Al Dardour to slide in bravely at the back post. And with the last kick of the first half Jordan added a third in stoppage time as Al Dardour, who did not feature during the opening defeat by Iraq, stabbed home from close range as Saleh was unable to cut out
Odai Al-Saify Odai Yusuf Ismaeel Al-Saify () is a Jordanian footballer who plays for Qadsia SC and the Jordan national football team. Club career Al-Saify started his career playing for Shabab Al-Ordon, in which he was loaned out to Al-Dhafra in the Unit ...
's drilled first-time cross. Palestine looked to recover from a disastrous end to the first half and came out strongly after half-time, with only a superb one-handed block from Shafi denying
Abdelhamid Abuhabib Abdelhamid Abuhabib (; born 6 August 1989) is a Palestinian footballer currently playing for Hebron-based Shabab Al-Khaleel of the West Bank Premier League. Early years Abuhabeeb grew up playing football in the streets of Khan Younis from an ea ...
, although at the other end, Saleh had to be on his toes to push
Oday Zahran Oday Samir Zahran () is a Jordanian football (soccer), footballer who plays for Jordanian First Division League club Al-Hashemiya SC (Jordan), Al-Hashemiya and a former Jordan national football team player. International career Zahran's first i ...
's lofted effort over the crossbar. Ahmed Al Hassan's side continued to press in the closing stages, but with 15 minutes remaining, Al Dardour completed his hat-trick with a superb solo goal as the striker coolly beat Saleh having picked the ball up just inside Palestine's half. And five minutes later, Al Dardour joined Iranian duo
Behtash Fariba Behtash Fariba (; born February 11, 1955) is a retired Iranian football player and now coach Club career He played for a few clubs, including Rah Ahan F.C., PAS Tehran F.C., Pas Tehran and Esteghlal F.C. With Pas F.C. he won the Iranian Iran P ...
and
Ali Daei Ali Daei ( ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian Association football, football manager and former professional footballer. A Striker (association football), striker, he was the captain (association football), captain of the Iran national footbal ...
and Bahrain's Ismail Abdul-Latif on the list of players to score four goals at the AFC Asian Cup as the striker stabbed home Zahran's cross from just outside the six yard area. There was, though, still time for Palestine to net their first AFC Asian Cup goal as Ihbeisheh netted from close range with five minutes remaining.


Iraq vs Japan

Man of the match
Keisuke Honda Keisuke Honda is a Japanese former professional footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. A versatile player, Honda usually played as an attacking midfielder, but could also play as a winger, a false nine or as a deep-lying playmak ...
's penalty helped Japan to their second straight victory as the defending champions eked out a 1–0 win over Iraq. Honda netted from the spot midway through the opening half as
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
's side stayed on top of the group with the maximum six points, three points more than Iraq and Jordan, who defeated Palestine 5–1 earlier in the day. Japan's qualification for the quarter-finals rests on their last first-round game on 20 January in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
against the
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
. Honda was involved in all of Japan's best moments in the first half, starting with a through ball for
Shinji Kagawa Shinji Kagawa (, ''Kagawa Shinji'' ; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer and football manager who plays as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time. Kagawa became the first midfie ...
that the
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
man fired wide in the 11th minute. Iraq returned the favour four minutes later from a corner, Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf calling
Eiji Kawashima is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for J1 League club Júbilo Iwata. Kawashima played in Japan for Omiya Ardija, Nagoya Grampus Eight and Kawasaki Frontale before joining Lierse S.K. in Belgium in 2010. He then p ...
into action with a soaring header the
Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège ( ; ; ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won t ...
custodian managed to keep out. Honda headed off the bottom of the right-hand post in the 17th minute before
Yasuhito Endō is a Japanese former footballer who played as a midfielder. Endō's playing career unfolded entirely within Japan, where he was associated with Gamba Osaka for 20 years. He made his senior international debut in 2002, representing Japan in th ...
, making his 150th appearance for Japan, started a sequence through the box that Kagawa should have finished on 21 minutes from close range. A minute later, though, Aguirre's men managed to put themselves on the scoreboard as Honda was taken down in the area by Ali Adnan. Honda stepped up to the spot himself, converting for his second goal of the tournament to push the holders in front.
Shinji Okazaki is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is best known for winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016. Internationally, he is Japan's third all-time top goalscorer with 50 goals. Club career Shim ...
, said to be on the shopping list of several
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
clubs this winter, should have doubled Japan's lead after 33 minutes but missed a free header that kept the Iraqis within one goal going into half-time. Two minutes after the break, Honda picked up where he left off in the first half, smashing against the crossbar with his weaker right foot from 20 yards out, and he had the best chance of the game four minutes past the hour that should have all but ended the contest. Substitute
Hiroshi Kiyotake is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for J2 League club Oita Trinita. He played for Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Club career In the summer of 2012, Kiyotake signed a four-year contrac ...
, who gave Japan a lift after coming on, set up Honda with a slick pass across the face of the goal but the
A.C. Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...
man, despite being completely free at the far post, somehow uncharacteristically missed, hitting the upright. Japan continued to flirt with the idea of scoring a second but came up short before the final whistle ended what turned out to be a relatively tame meeting between the winners of the last two Asian Cups.


Japan vs Jordan

Keisuke Honda Keisuke Honda is a Japanese former professional footballer and manager who played as a midfielder. A versatile player, Honda usually played as an attacking midfielder, but could also play as a winger, a false nine or as a deep-lying playmak ...
scored for the third consecutive game as defending champions Japan finally confirmed their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament as 2–0 win over a brave Jordan completed a 100% record in Group D. The four-time winners only needed a point in front of a 25,000 crowd at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
having earlier beaten Palestine and Iraq, but Honda's 24th-minute strike and a late second from
Shinji Kagawa Shinji Kagawa (, ''Kagawa Shinji'' ; born 17 March 1989) is a Japanese professional footballer and football manager who plays as a midfielder. He is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players of all time. Kagawa became the first midfie ...
saw
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently manag ...
's side claim the win; meanwhile this meant for the first time ever in Jordan's Asian Cup participation, they'd failed to qualify into the knockout stage; and also for the first time in Asian Cup history, Jordan lost to Japan, having drawn Japan twice in 2004 and 2011. Having ended Jordan's hopes of an appearance in the last eight as
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
claimed second place in Group D after beating
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, Japan would face
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for Touring car racing, touring cars and ''Group B'' for Grand tourer, GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 (motorspor ...
runners-up the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
on 23 January for a place in the semi-finals. Japan coach Aguirre named the same side for a third consecutive game with the defending champions only needing a point to qualify for the quarter-finals as Group D winners, while opposite number Ray Wilkins made one change with
Anas Bani Yaseen Anas Walid Khaled Bani Yaseen () (born 29 November 1988) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Jordanian Pro League side Al-Hussein and the Jordan national team. International career Bani Yaseen make his inter ...
returning from suspension to replace
Saeed Murjan Saeed Mohammad Saeed Hasan Murjan (; born in 1990) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Jordanian First Division League club Doqarah and the Jordan national football team. International career Saeed's first inte ...
and with Jordan needing to at least avoid defeat to keep their quarter-final hopes alive,
Ray Wilkins Raymond Colin Wilkins (14 September 1956 – 4 April 2018) was an English football player and coach. Born into a footballing family with his father and three brothers involved in the game, Wilkins played as a midfielder. He began his career a ...
' side showed their intentions, lining up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation and pressing Japan from the first whistle. Jordan's plans, though, were almost dealt a huge blow after just 10 minutes as
Takashi Inui is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder and currently play for club, Shimizu S-Pulse. Club career Inui was an All Japan High School Soccer Tournament champion in 2006 with Yasu High School. In 2 ...
smashed home Kagawa's pull-back only for the assistant referee's flag on the near side to rule the ball had crossed the line prior to the delivery from the
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
midfielder. But Japan eventually took the lead midway through the first half as Jordan goalkeeper
Amer Shafi Amer Shafi Mahmoud Sabbah (; born 14 February 1982) is a Jordanian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Shafi began his career as a midfielder and later on became a goalkeeper. After playing many years for Al-Yarmouk, he j ...
could only parry
Shinji Okazaki is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is best known for winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016. Internationally, he is Japan's third all-time top goalscorer with 50 goals. Club career Shim ...
's angled strike from Inui's clever pass across goal and Honda was on hand to net from a tight angle. Shafi, though, denied the defending champions a second five minutes later as the Jordan goalkeeper showed superb reflexes to push
Masato Morishige is a Japanese professional association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back, captain and currently play for club, FC Tokyo. International career In July 2007, Morishige was elected Japan ...
's point-blank header from Honda's vicious corner over the crossbar as Japan continued to control the game and restrict their opponents to rare forays forward. Needing to at least avoid defeat, striker Ahmad Hayel and midfielder
Munther Abu Amarah Munther Omar Abdul Aziz Abu Amarah (; born 24 April 1992) is a Jordanian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Al-Faisaly and the Jordan national team. International career Abu Amarah's first international match with the Jordan ...
were introduced at half-time for Jordan, and the move paid off as Wilkins' side started the second 45 minutes with added vigor after Japan had enjoyed nearly 75 percent possession in the first half. Japan, though, still remained the more likely to add to their lead and Shafi had to be on his toes to push away Honda's strike from just outside the area with 19 minutes remaining, with Jordan beginning to tire as the half progressed having valiantly tried to keep up with their opponents' superior passing and movement. The Japanese made sure of the three points with eight minutes remaining when a cross from substitute
Yoshinori Muto is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for Vissel Kobe. Muto started his career with J1 League club FC Tokyo in 2013 who he played with for three seasons. In May 2015, he signed for German club Mainz 05 wh ...
found the onrushing Kagawa close to the penalty spot and Shafi was only able to help the first-time strike into the back of the net. Japan came close to adding a third in the first minute of stoppage time, but Honda was unfortunate to see his low drilled strike from inside the area crash into the post with Shafi rooted to the spot.


Iraq vs Palestine

Goals from
Younis Mahmoud Younis Mahmoud Khalaf (; born 3 February 1983) is an Iraqi former professional association football, footballer who played as a forward (association football), forward for the Iraq national football team, Iraq national team and is currently the ...
and
Ahmed Yasin Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin (; June 1936 – 22 March 2004) was a Palestinian politician and imam who founded Hamas, an Islamist political and military organization. He also served as the first chairman of the Hamas Shura Council and ...
led Iraq into the quarter-finals and a meeting with arch-rivals
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, after a 2–0 victory against Palestine at
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sp ...
. Mahmoud's first goal in the tournament Down Under came on 48 minutes and was his seventh in
AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...
competitions, meaning he has now scored in four consecutive continental championships since he first appeared at the 2004 edition. Mahmoud's could have had a second just before the hour mark, too, but Palestine's back-up goalkeeper
Tawfiq Ali Tawfiq Ali Abuhammad (; born 8 November 1989) is a Palestinian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Palestine national football team and Jabal Al-Mukaber in the West Bank Premier League. He received his first senior cap in the bronze me ...
, who put on an impressive show throughout in the absence of the injured Ramzi Saleh, saved the forward's spot-kick. But two minutes before the end midfielder Yasin, making his first start of the tournament, sealed the points and the victory for Iraq. The win means Iraq finish second in Group D, behind defending champions
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
who topped
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
2–0 in the day's other game, and
Radhi Shenaishil Radhi Shenaishil Swadi (; born 11 August 1966) is a former Iraqi footballer and former coach of the Iraq national football team. Playing career Radhi Shenaishil was born and brought up in Al-Thawra City in Baghdad. He captained an Iraqi Und ...
and his team would remain in
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
for their last-eight showdown with Group C winners Iran on 23 January. Handed his first start of the tournament,
Justin Meram Justin Meram (; born December 4, 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger. Born in the United States, he played for the Iraq national team. Career College and amateur Meram attended Eisenhower High School in Michigan, ...
went close to justifying his coach's decision after just three minutes as he jinked inside following a long throw on the left and into the area but he was closed down quickly and his shot stuttered into the hands of goalkeeper Ali. Palestine themselves could have taken a shock lead on 20 minutes as Jalal Hasan made a hash of
Ashraf Nu'man Ashraf Nu'man Al-Fawaghra (; born 29 July 1986) is a Palestinian people, Palestinian professional footballer who plays for Shabab Al-Khalil SC, Shabab Al-Khalil of the West Bank Premier League and the Palestine national football team, Palestine n ...
's corner but the ball was cleared just before
Abdelatif Bahdari Abdelatif Bahdari (; born 20 February 1984) is a Palestinian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Markaz Balata. From 2007 to 2021, he earned 79 caps for Palestine national football team. Club career Al-Wehdat Bahdari began hi ...
could pounce on the loose ball. While Iraq dominated the first period, they found Ali showing no signs of nerves in his first start and in confident form. The 24-year-old goalkeeper saved a swerving long-range effort from Waleed Salem 20 minutes into the contest before diving low to his right to block Mahmoud's header five minutes before the interval. And Iraq's profligacy continued in just the second minute of the restart as Mahmoud blazed wide when the influential Yasin's pull-back found him inside the penalty area. But the striker's woes in front of goal would last only another minute. From half-time substitute Ali Adnan's corner, Mahmoud's rose highest to direct a firm header past Ali. Almost immediately after that setback, Palestine then had their best chance of the night as a poor pass from Salam Shaker fell into the pass of the alert Nu’man but Hasan pulled off an impressive save with his feet to block the goal-bound effort. The game began to open up as both teams looked for goals before
Ahmed Harbi Ahmed Harbi Mahajna (, ; born 16 July 1986), simply known as Ahmed Harbi, is a Palestinian footballer playing for Maccabi Ahi Iksal as a full back, having previously played in the Israeli league. International career He received his first call ...
brought down Meram inside the area for a penalty to Iraq just before the hour-mark. Mahmoud stepped up, looking for his second of the night, but Ali continued his impressive performance by diving the right way, low to his left, and parried the ball away. Iraq continued to hammer away at the Palestine defence and eventually a second goal came their way in the game's dying minutes as Yasin scored the goal his fine performance warranted with a powerful low strike from the edge of the area that zipped into the back of the net and Adnan could have made it three late on with an effort that hit the upright, but the points were safe as the final whistle blew shortly after to the delight of the large contingent of Iraqi fans.Asian Cup: Iraq ensure quarter-final berth with 2-0 win over Palestine in Canberra
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References


External links

* (Official website)
AFC Asian Cup
the-AFC.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Asian
Group D Group D may refer to: * FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars: ** Formula Two ** Formula Three ** Formula 3000 * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D ** 2018 FIFA Worl ...
Group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
2015 in Japanese football 2014–15 in Jordanian football 2014–15 in Palestinian football