Host China advanced to their first-ever Asian Cup final on Wednesday with a 4-3 penalty shootout win against Iran after tying 1-1 in regulation time, setting up a match against Japan in the finals.
With past champion Iran reduced to 10 men for much of the match, Arie Haan's team pressed the attack, but weren't able to break the deadlock in extra time.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Victory came when Chinese goalkeeper Liu Yunfei batted down Yahya Golmohammadi's chipped penalty shot, setting off a delirious celebration among the more than 50,000 fans in Beijing's Workers' Stadium where the final will be played on Saturday.
"We fought and we fought and we never gave up. Now we've got to be ready for Japan who are definitely the strongest team in the region," said midfielder Shao Jiayi, who scored China's sole regulation time goal.
Keiji Tamada scored twice in Japan's come-from-behind 4-3 semifinal win over underdog Bahrain, a see-saw matchup that saw the lead change hands four times.
Reduced to 10 men for much of the match, Japan equalized three minutes into the second half off a corner by Takashi Fukunishi, then battled back again to level the score 3-3 just seconds before the end of regulation time with a bullet header from the near penalty spot by Yuji Nakazawa.
Tamada then nailed the winner three minutes into extra time, chipping the ball past advancing Bahraini goalkeeper Ali Saeed after receiving a long pass in front of the penalty area and dumping defender Hussain Baba.
Playing before enthusiastic support from the 32,000 spectators in the eastern city of Jinan, Bahrain's A'ala Hubail scored twice, and substitute Duaij Nasser added a third in the 85th minute. The tiny gulf state had appeared in only one previous Asian Cup and Croatian-born coach Srecko Juricic said his semi-professional players had been overcome by the Japanese pros' experience and fitness.
In the Beijing game, China opened scoring with Shao's 19th minute strike. Collecting a pass from Li Jingyu, veteran Hao Haidong ran the ball down to the lefthand corner and shook off three defenders before cutting back up field and passing to Shao who made no mistake with his shot.
Minutes later, Hao was brought down by a vicious tackle in front of the Iranian goal, but Lebanese referee Talaat Najim called no foul. Bleeding from the head, Hao had to be taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, with Manchester City defender Sun Jihai taking his place.
Iran equalized in the 38th minute when Sayyed Mohammed Alavi pounced on a short pass from Mehdi Mahdavikia, striking a rocket from the edge of the penalty box.
Iran was reduced to 10 men shortly after the start of the second half when Sattar Zare was sent off for fighting with Shao. Zare pushed Shao lightly in the chest but the Chinese midfielder fell to the ground dramatically, grasping his throat in pantomimed agony.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS