(MENAFN- Arab Times) SYDNEY Jan 23 (AFP): Japan were sent crashing out of the Asian Cup on Friday as the United Arab Emirates shocked the defending champions 5-4 on penalties after a pulsating quarter-final. Substitute Ismail Ahmed delivered the knockout blow after Japanese superstars Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa had both missed their spot-kicks sending the UAE through to the last four after a war of attrition in Sydney that finished 1-1 following extra time.
The Gulf side enjoying their best run at the Asian Cup since finishing runners-up in 1996 will face hosts Australia in the semi-finals after a stunning victory over the Blue Samurai. 'Our opponents played the game of their lives' Japan coach Javier Aguirre told reporters accusing the UAE of parking the bus. 'Once they scored they defended for 110 minutes with 11 players behind the ball. 'I couldn't have asked for anything more from my players' added the Mexican whose future is set to come under even closer scrutiny as he prepares for a court appearance in Valencia next month over match-fixing allegations dating back to his time in Spain. 'Once it goes to penalties anything can happen. It's a lottery and in large part comes down to luck. We were the better team in all areas.' The Emirates exploded from the blocks striker Ali Mabkhout smashing home a fierce volley after just seven minutes for his fourth goal of the tournament but refusing to celebrate out of respect for Saudi King Abdullah who died earlier in the day. With Japan teetering on the brink of a shock defeat however substitute Gaku Shibasaki rifled in the equaliser from the edge of the box after 81 minutes. The UAE players wearing black armbands in honour of the late Saudi monarch frustrated Japan with their intricate passing in the first half playmaker Omar Abdulrahman pulling the strings in midfield. Mabkhout's opener came via route one however as he raced onto a long ball from Amer Abdulrahman to lash a right-foot past Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima. The Japanese in contrast looked tired and bereft of ideas after Aguirre named an unchanged team for a fourth game in a row and only the introduction of fresh legs after the interval swung the momentum. Substitute Yoshinori Muto wasted a golden opportunity to restore parity when he headed wide from point-blank range before Kagawa forced a smart save from UAE keeper Majed Naser. Captain Makoto Hasebe and Honda came close as Japan threw everything at their obdurate opponents Kagawa again firing wide as the referee blew to signal the end of normal time. Japan who captured a record fourth Asian Cup in 2011 almost snatched the winner when Shibasaki's free kick flashed wide but the UAE hung on to force a shoot-out where of all people Honda and Kagawa gifted Ahmed the chance to become a hero. 'We knew it would be very tough and I told the players that it's not always pretty football that wins games' said UAE coach Mahdi Ali. 'I told them sometimes to have to win with heart and spirit. My players were fantastic. They fought for 120 minutes. To beat the champions will give us a lot of confidence for the game with Australia.' Honda whose opening kick in the penalty shootout ballooned embarrassingly high made no secret of his annoyance at Japan's failure to break down the UAE. 'That was a game we had to win' he fumed. 'It was an extremely difficult game and it took us by surprise so mentally we fell short. We couldn't handle the pressure on us to win the tournament.' Meanwhile UAE players wore black armbands and striker Ali Mabkhout refused to celebrate his opening goal as the death of Saudi King Abdullah was marked at the Asian Cup on Friday. Mabkhout walked away with his arms down after scoring the opener against Japan in their quarter-final in Sydney in a mark of respect for the Saudi king. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) lowered its flag at its Kuala Lumpur headquarters to half-mast and expressed 'deep sadness' at the king's death. AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said it was 'a big loss for the people of Saudi Arabia and will be sorely felt by the entire Asian continent'.
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