Iran stun Japan with 96th minute winner as Premier League stars heading back to clubs
Japan crashed out of the Asian Cup after a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat to Iran where former Brighton star Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored a 96th minute penalty to book their place into the semi-finals
Iran stunned Japan with a 96th minute winner to book their passage into the semi-finals of the Asian Cup.
Having gone down 1-0 in the first half to the four-time champions with Hidemasa Morita opening the scoring in Saturday's (February 3) quarter-finals, Iran were left needing to come back from behind to keep their dreams alive of a first Asian title since 1976.
It was Mohammad Mohebi who drew Iran level 10 minutes after half time and with extra time seemingly looming, centre-back Kou Itakura brought down Hossein Kanaanizadegan in the box in stoppage time with ex-Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh stepping up to take the spot-kick.
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The 30-year-old held his nerve and dispatched the penalty to earn Iran a famous win where they'll go on to face the winner of Qatar and Uzbekistan who clash later on.
Japan's elimination will see a slew of European players return to their clubs including Premier League stars such as Liverpool's Wataru Endo, Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu and Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.
Which player will provide the biggest boost to their club upon their return from international duty? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below
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With Arsenal hosting Liverpool on Sunday (February 4) in a important clash with title aspirations, the game may have come too soon for Endo and Tomiyasu to play any part in.
The midfielder's departure from Jurgen Klopp's squad came on the back of an excellent month of performances for the former Stuttgart captain who was named Liverpool's player of the month for December.
Tomiyasu had struggled with a calf injury for much of the season before returning in Arsenal's 2-1 loss against Fulham as he'll provide a much-needed body in defence as Arsenal continue to mount a title challenge against Manchester City and Liverpool.
After a horrendous December that Mikel Arteta's side win just one of their five league games, they've returned to form since the turn of the year, clinching victories against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.