ABU DHABI, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan edged Vietnam 1-0 by a second-half penalty while Iran beat China 3-0 on Thursday, with the two winners setting up the first date in the semifinals of the ongoing AFC Asian Cup 2019 held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Four-time champion Japan eliminated Vietnam thanks to a penalty converted by midfielder Ritsu Doan with a low left-footed shot to the bottom right in the 57th minute of the game.
VAR was called in the 56th minute to clarify if Doan had been brought down in the box.
It is the second encounter between Japan and Vietnam in the Asian Cup, as Japan won the first 4-1 in the group stage in 2007.
By defeating Vietnam, Japan won all their five matches in the AFC Asian Cup 2019, all by a one-goal margin, hoping for a record-extending fifth AFC Asian Cup title.
Ranking third in the Asian Cup, Japan joined the competition eight times, debuting in 1988.
As for Vietnam, their last appearance in the quarterfinal stage was in 2007, when they suffered a 2-0 loss to eventual winners Iraq.
On the other hand, three-time Asian Cup title holder Iran made a convincing 3-0 win over China to advance to their semifinal match with Japan on Monday.
Iran, who had missed the semifinals of the last three Asian Cups, ended the heartbreaking record thanks to unstoppable Sardar Azmoun. The Rubin Kazan striker provided an assist for Mehdi Taremi to break the deadlock in the 18th minute of the game and he himself scored the second in the 31st minute.
The third goal was scored by Iranian forward Karim Ansarifard in the 91st minute, right before the end of the game.
Although the ball possession seemed equal, Iran, who rank first in the Asian Cup, managed to control the match and repeatedly threaten China's backline.
"We deserve this victory and I am happy we made the semifinals, but we know the big sharks will come for us next," said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.
China's veteran coach Marcello Lippi, 70, told the post-match press conference that he will leave the position with China as the contract ends after the Asian Cup tour.
"When you face a strong team like Iran, you have to avoid making mistakes. I did not expect we will lose the game in this way," Lippi said.
"What makes me sad is we gifted a team like Iran three goals in such an important match. Our players did thier best during the tournament, but tonight, I don't want to say 'thank you' to them," he added.
With a clean net, Iran won four out of its five matches in the current Asian Cup, as it had a goalless draw with Iraq in the group stage.
The second semifinal match will be determined on Friday by two confrontations: South Korea vs Qatar, hosts UAE vs defending champion Australia.
Run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and extended to feature 24 teams, the 17th edition of the quadrennial AFC Asian Cup is running from January 5 to February 1.
