Moon strike puts South Korea throughSouth Korea 1-0 Jordan
South Korea will face Qatar in the semi-finals of the 2016 AFC U23 Championship after beating Jordan 1-0 at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Moon Chang Jin scored the only goal of the game in the 23rd minute after capitalising on some sloppy defending.
South Korea created a hatful of chances during an entertaining first half. Kwon Changhoon wasted two early opportunities before Ryu Seung Woo shot wide from distance.
Jordan’s best chance came in the 20th minute. Baha Faisal missed a golden opportunity after having the goal at his mercy. He mishit a shot after a mix-up in the South Korean defence left goalkeeper Gu Sang Yun stranded.
Jordan goalkeeper Bani Ateyah twice prevented South Korea from extending their lead shortly after Moon’s goal, before Ehsan Manel Haddad volleyed wide in the 36th minute for the West Asians.
Into the second half and Haddad shot wide from distance before Ahmad Hisham Mohammad came close to equalising.
Kwon almost made the game safe for South Korea in the 80th minute but shot just wide from the edge of the box.
In the end Moon’s goal was enough for South Korea to book a last-four date with hosts Qatar at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. A win for either side will book a place at the Rio Olympics, while the loser will get a second chance to qualify for Brazil in the third-place play-off.
Iraq set up Japan clash after extra-time win
United Arab Emirates 1-3 Iraq (AET)
Defending champions Iraq will face Japan in the semi-finals after a 3-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates.
Mohanad Abdulraheem and Amjed Attwan Kadhim clinched the win in extra-time at Grand Hamad Stadium to put the Iraqis one win away from Olympics qualification.
The game sprung into life with 15 minutes remaining of regulation time. The UAE went in front after poor defending led to Alaa Ali Mahwi scoring an own goal.
But Iraq hit back immediately after another defensive mix-up. The UAE failed to clear a routine through-ball and Ali Hisny slid in to equalise from close range.
The first half featured few chances. The UAE hit the post in the 18th minute, while Abdulraheem went close five minutes later but was unable to direct his shot on target.
Iraq goalkeeper Fahad Talib produced a string of good saves in the second half to keep the game scoreless. First he tipped over a dangerous corner, before keeping out a superb volley from Yousif Saeed.
Another opportunity for Iraq came in the 65th minute but Mahdi Kamil mistimed his attempt after finding a good shooting position.
In the end Iraq had the stamina and class to overcome a stern test and set up a last-four showdown against a Japan side which has won all four of its matches so far.
Iraq’s semi-final with Japan will take place at Lekhwiya Stadium on Tuesday, kick-off 4.30pm.
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