EAFF NEWS/COLUMN

Doha: Go Oiwa said he had faith Leo Kokubo would save Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s injury time penalty before the Japan goalkeeper made the vital intervention that ensured his team reclaimed the AFC U23 Asian Cup™ title with a 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan in the Doha 2024 final on Friday.

Kokubo threw himself to his right to keep out Rakhmonaliev’s strike after Hiroki Sekine had been judged to have handled the ball in the penalty area deep into added time with the Japanese leading through Fuki Yamada’s fine finish.

Yamada, introduced as a substitute in the 72nd minute with both teams struggling to find a way through to goal, stroked his shot into the bottom corner in the first minute of injury time and looked to have sealed the win for the Japanese. .....

✨𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒✨

🇯🇵 Japan are the 2024 #AFCU23 champions! pic.twitter.com/kbQrnRROOG
— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) May 3, 2024

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10MA TOPICS! [JAPAN FA][AFC U23 ASIAN CUP] Kokubo just one of Japan's heroes, says Oiwa

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10MA TOPICS! [JAPAN FA][AFC U23 ASIAN CUP] Kokubo just one of Japan's heroes, says Oiwa

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