Japan, Uzbekistan enter AFC U23 Asian Cup final and confirm Olympic berths
Al Jazeera
Indonesia and Iraq will fight for the last remaining Olympic football spot in the U23 Asian Cup bronze medal match.
Japan and Uzbekistan will meet in the final of the AFC Under 23 Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar after securing 2-0 wins over Iraq and Indonesia in their respective semifinals.
Both countries have also secured their qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024 by reaching the final.
First-half goals from Mao Hosoya and Ryotaro Araki were enough to secure a comfortable win for Japan over Iraq in the second semifinal at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Monday.
Hosoya put the 2016 champions in front in the 28th minute and Araki doubled the lead 14 minutes later during a commanding performance by Go Oiwa’s side, with captain Joel Fujita at the heart of a dominant display.
The Japanese will take on Timur Kapadze’s Uzbekistan in Friday’s final at the same venue.
