Two goals in either half saw the Qataris progress with relative ease as the UAE were left unable to emulate the nation’s run to the final in 1996 despite the backing of a passionate crowd at Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

“I would like to apologise to the UAE fans for the result,” declared Zaccheroni, who guided Japan to the AFC Asian Cup title in 2011."

A stirring first-half performance – which saw Boualem Khoukhi break the deadlock and Almoez Ali notch a record-equalling eighth goal of the tournament – laid the foundation for the victory which was rubberstamped by late strikes from Hassan Al Haydos and Hamid Ismaeil as Qatar progressed with relative ease to set up Friday’s title showdown with the Japanese.

While Qatar’s success saw them advance to their first-ever AFC Asian Cup final, it left the UAE to rue what could have been as they failed to emulate their run to the final in 1996.

Who, when, where? JAPAN v QATAR Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi - 18:00, February 1

Japan's 3-0 win against Islamic Republic of Iran in Al Ain on Monday and Qatar's victory over hosts United Arab Emirates 24 hours later in Abu Dhabi, sets up a mouth-watering clash between the sides, who will meet in the decider for the first time in the competition's 63-year history.

The 37th-minute strike means the 22-year-old joins Islamic Republic of Iran's Ali Daei as the most prolific scorer in a single edition of the competition, a mark established in the 1996 Finals, which were also held in the UAE.

Ali's historic strike was his eighth in six matches in the UAE, and follows the six-goal haul which saw him claim the top scorer award at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.

Tuesday's goal was one to savour, as Ali collected the ball 35 yards from goal, before driving towards the Emirati penalty area and unleashing a searing low drive which gave goalkeeper Khalid Eisa no chance.

Two goals to Yuya Osako, and a third from Genki Haraguchi, powered the four-time champions to an emphatic 3-0 win over a previously unbeaten Team Melli, securing Japan's passage to a meeting with either Qatar or United Arab Emirates in the Continental finale.

Yoshida, an English Premier League star with Southampton, revealed the importance of the result, and his delight at having helped his side achieve it.

A Yuya Osako double, and Genki Haraguchi's late sealer, put the exclamation mark on what was the Samurai Blue's best performance in the competition thus far, and helped them their fifth continental decider since 1992.

Minamino, 23, was a key contributor in the win, and told the-AFC.com the four-time champions are improving with every match.

The midfielder-cum-defender is a regular for local club Al Ain FC, and came on as a substitute shortly after Hajime Moriyasu's side took a 56th-minute lead on the way to an emphatic victory.

Shiotani said achieving such a significant national team result at the venue he has called home for the last two years was something special.