A 2-1 victory over Spain at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday took Japan to the top of Group E ahead of Luis Enrique’s side and saw Germany, the four-time FIFA World Cup winners, eliminated despite their 4-2 success over Costa Rica.
The Japanese had also beaten the Germans in the opening round and Moriyasu’s side will now face 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up Croatia on Monday for a first-ever place in the quarter-finals.
2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣2️⃣ ✅
— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) December 1, 2022
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣0️⃣ ✅
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ ✅
2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ ✅
Group E winners. 🇯🇵 Japan book their place in the last 16 for the fourth time. They will face Croatia on Dec 5!#Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/NRgDJwl83i
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