AFC ASIAN CUP 2007: Underdogs rule the day in semis

HANOI--The 2007 Asian Cup has been a tournament of upsets, so it was fitting that regional powerhouses Japan and South Korea were both sent packing by underdogs in the semifinals.
Japan fell 3-2 to Saudi Arabia in Vietnam, while South Korea bowed out 4-3 to Iraq in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer in Kuala Lumpur.
The favorites in both matches were let down by their shooting. Japan was dogged the entire tournament by a reluctance to pull the trigger and it finally did the defending champions in on Wednesday. Despite making the Saudis look like amateurs for most of the first half, Japan was unable to turn its domination into an advantage on the scoreboard.
That allowed Saudi forwards Yasser Al Qahtani and Malek Maaz to work their magic, Al Qahtani scoring the opener and Maaz following with two world-class finishes to crush Japan's dreams of collecting a third-successive title.
South Korea was also guilty of failing in the final third of the pitch, scoring only three times in five matches at the tournament.
As disappointing a day as it was for East Asian soccer, Wednesday was equally as joyful for the game--and life--in the Middle East, according to Saudi Arabia manager Helio Anjos.
"Today was a victory for Arabian football, especially for Iraq because everyone knows what is happening there. These victories will bring happiness to the people of Iraq and Saudi Arabia," Anjos said.
Japan coach Ivica Osim congratulated the Saudis on the win even though he felt they had benefited greatly from lady luck to get it.
"They scored three goals with their three chances. We created more chances but they had more luck and unfortunately we couldn't find the third equalizer. Their goals came when we switched off," he said.
Japan's intricate passing and constantly shifting attack in the first half seemed to mesmerize the Saudis, who looked decidedly one-dimensional in comparison.
But Osim's men were once again foiled by their refusal to light the fuse, and once again it allowed their opponent to remain in a match that should have been wrapped up by halftime.
For the third time in as many games, Japan conceded the first goal.
Al Qahtani, nicknamed "The Sniper," gave the Saudis the lead in the 35th minute when he beat Yuki Abe to a pass inside the Japan area and drilled it home.
Yuji Nakazawa equalized two minutes later, the central defender getting his mop-headed cranium to a Yasuhito Endo corner before keeper Yasser Al Mosailem could get his fist to it.
The Saudis looked to be fairing far worse than their opponents in the 30-C heat and almost 80 percent humidity during the opening frame, so it surprised almost everyone when they took the game to Japan in the second half.
Saudi Arabia restored its lead two minutes after the restart when pint-sized striker Maaz outjumped the Japanese defense to nod home a cross from Taiseer Al Jassam.
Abe leveled the score minutes later with a bicycle-kick following a nice feed from Eintracht Frankfurt forward Naohiro Takahara, who otherwise had a quiet night.
Maaz had the goal in his crosshairs again not long after, however. The mercurial forward undressed Abe and Nakazawa at the side of the box before expertly toe-poking the ball passed a shell-shocked Japan captain Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi for the win.
Japan only began uncorking from distance with 10 minutes left to play, Naotake Hanyu rattling the crossbar with his effort, but it was too little, too late.
Osim admitted much work was left to be done after a bitter loss to an opponent Japan had traditionally had its way with.
"If I had to tell you what we need to improve in the future, it would take a very long time. We need to get better in international football. Some of the players, who I will not name, failed to play to their potential today. You'll know who they are if you watched the match."
The matchup everyone had expected for the final, Japan versus South Korea, will instead take place in the playoff for third place scheduled for Saturday night in Palembang, Indonesia.
Iraq and Saudi Arabia duke it out in the final on Sunday in Jakarta.
The July 7-29 Asian Cup is being co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.(IHT/Asahi: July 27,2007)