NEWS

Japan lost 2-1 to Yemen on Thursday after giving up a stoppage-time goal, and finished second in Group D in the AFC Under-16 Championship at Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with Australia on October 12 at MHSK Stadium.

Japan, who had collected two wins in their previous two games, needed a draw to top the group after Yemen was awarded a 3-0 win over the United Arab Emirates in a game that had originally ended in a 1-1 draw. The decision was made after it was found that the UAE had played a suspended player in that game.
The United Arab Emirates beat Malaysia 3-2 on Thursday to finish third in the group, followed by winless Malaysia.
Japan struggled to hold off the hard-working Yemenis, but still managed to take the lead when defender Tatsuya Uchida connected with a corner kick in the 52nd minute.
Four minutes later, Yemen equalized through a Mohammed Al Shamsi penalty.
The Yemenis continued to pressure Japan and broke the tie five minutes into stoppage time through Ahmed Al Baidhani.
Japan Under-16 coach Yutaka Ikeuchi commented, “It was a shame that we lost today. But our objective remains to qualify for the World Cup and that’s still possible, so we should aim for that.”
Japan will next play Australia, who won Group C with a 3-0-0 record, at the same venue.
Ikeuchi said, “We will get our fitness right over the next two days to prepare for our game with Australia in the quarterfinals.”
The top four finishers of the tournament will book their place in next year’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.