Unbeaten record
Japan are unbeaten against Iran in the AFC Asian Cup (P4 W2 D2), including registering a 3-0 win over the Central Asian side in the 2019 semi-finals. 

 

Shoot-out record
Iran's penalty shootout win against Syria was only their second triumph in six matches requiring spot-kicks since the 1996 edition. Japan, meanwhile, have won three of six games requiring penalties in the same period.  

Goals galore
Iran have scored three or more goals six times in the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup. Only Japan (8) have done so on more occasions. In fact, Japan have not failed to score in their last nine knockout stage matches - stretching back to the 2011 edition, the longest scoring run in the competition.

 

Tough luck
Mehdi Taremi will miss the quarter-finals and Iran will feel his absence. In the nine AFC Asian Cup matches that the Central Asian side have played since 2019- with Taremi in the team - they won seven and drew two. The only game he missed was the 3-0 loss to Japan in the  2019 semi-finals.

 

Hotshot
Ayase Ueda is well on track to become the first Japanese player to score five times in a single edition of the AFC Asian Cup since 2000 after netting his fourth of Qatar 2023 in the 3-1 win over Indonesia. The last Japanese players to score five each were Akinori Nishizawa and Naohiro Takahara.