Japan march into last four

The Bahrainis were appearing in their first-ever knockout stage tie at the continental tournament and coach Adel Abdulrahman and his team had previously spoken of the challenge they faced against the three-time champions from East Asia.

As such, the West Asian nation set their stall out early, looking to sit back and play on the counter, but with six minutes gone Japan took the lead after Koichi Saito finished smartly from Shota Hoshi’s pass across from the left.

The Samurai Blue, who controlled proceedings for large spells in the first half as Bahrain defended deep and invited pressure, had further chances through Yuki Murota, but goalkeeper Sayed Fadhel was equal to his efforts.

On the occasions Bahrain attacked, usually taking the direct route, captain Mohamed Al Sandi worked hard to create opportunities for his side and Jassam Saleh tested Higor Pires on several occasions.