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The Werder Bremen forward headed the first home in the 56th
minute and added his second from the penalty spot to help set up a date with
either hosts the United Arab Emirates or Qatar in Friday’s final in Abu
Dhabi.
Genki Haraguchi added a gloss to the scoreline with a powerful
run and shot in stoppage time at the end of the match but the contest was
already long decided.
Carlos Queiroz’s Iran had been the form team of the tournament
but their dreams of a ending a 43-year wait for a fourth continental title
were left in tatters by the clinical Japanese.
Roared on by a noisy majority of the crowd, the Iranians had
enjoyed the better of a competitive, if goalless, first half but were
completely deflated by Osako’s twin strikes and never looked like fighting their
way back into the match.
While they might have had a case that Morteza Pouraliganji’s arm
blocked Takumi Minamino’s cross accidentally for the penalty, the opening
goal was down to the sort of lapse of concentration that Queiroz has warned
his team against.
Minamino had made a break down the left and crumpled to the
floor on the edge of the area looking for a free kick or penalty.
None was forthcoming but while defender Ehsan Hajsafi was asking
the referee to book the striker for a dive, Minamino raced to retrieve the
ball and crossed it from the corner flag for Osako to head home unchallenged.
It was the first goal Iran had conceded in six games at the
tournament but winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh came close to equalising five
minutes later with a free kick that forced a good save out of Shuichi Gonda.
The second blow landed soon afterwards when the referee pointed
to the spot after the ball had struck Pouraliganji on the arm, confirming his
decision following a look at the TV pictures on the sideline.
Osako sent goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand the wrong way from the
spot and a fifth final in the last eight versions of the continental
championship look assured, Haraguchi helping to wrap up their first win by a
margin of more than one goal at the tournament.
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Source: NDO
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