Two goals to Yuya Osako, and a third from Genki Haraguchi, powered the four-time champions to an emphatic 3-0 win over a previously unbeaten Team Melli, securing Japan's passage to a meeting with either Qatar or United Arab Emirates in the Continental finale.

Yoshida, an English Premier League star with Southampton, revealed the importance of the result, and his delight at having helped his side achieve it.

A Yuya Osako double, and Genki Haraguchi's late sealer, put the exclamation mark on what was the Samurai Blue's best performance in the competition thus far, and helped them their fifth continental decider since 1992.

Minamino, 23, was a key contributor in the win, and told the-AFC.com the four-time champions are improving with every match.

The midfielder-cum-defender is a regular for local club Al Ain FC, and came on as a substitute shortly after Hajime Moriyasu's side took a 56th-minute lead on the way to an emphatic victory.

Shiotani said achieving such a significant national team result at the venue he has called home for the last two years was something special.

A brace from Yuya Osako and a late strike from Genki Haraguchi took the Japanese into the tournament decider, where they will face either the United Arab Emirates or Qatar at Zayed Sports City Stadium on Friday.

“Iran have had great results in the past and we knew they were going to be a very tough opponent, but the players had prepared well and they showed great fighting spirit,” said Moriyasu, who also led Japan to the final of the Asian Games in Indonesia last summer."

Osako, who was included from the start for the first time since sustaining a hip injury in Japan’s opening game, put the four-time champions in front 11 minutes after the interval before doubling his side’s lead midway through the half from the penalty spot.

The Werder Bremen striker’s double – and Genki Haraguchi’s late third - sent his nation into their fifth AFC Asian Cup final since 1992 and they will face the winners of the semi-final between the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the decider on Friday.

Appearing in the final four for the first time in 15 years, Team Melli held their own in a competitive first-half, but never recovered from the concession of Yuya Osako's opening goal, with Japan taking full control and ultimately cruising into Friday's final.

It was a forgettable conclusion to an Iranian campaign which had promised so much, but ended, once again, in knockout stage disappointment.

Yuya Osako’s double and a late strike from Genki Haraguchi mean Iran’s AFC Asian Cup-winning drought will extend for another four years after a 3-0 loss at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium took the four-time winners into Friday’s final at Team Melli’s expense.

Queiroz has been at the helm of the Iran national team for eight years, but he suggested he will no longer continue a reign which has seen him lead the country to back-to-back appearances at the FIFA World Cup.