Japan beat Korea Republic 3-2 in the final of the 2016 edition to claim their first title, but the 20-year-old revealed that there is no pressure on the team and revealed what is most important to him as the skipper is to uphold the pride and achievements of his seniors.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure to defend the title, but we know that Japan were champions in the previous edition, so we want to behave as champions,” said Miyoshi.

“But honestly, I think we are challengers, rather than the title defenders. And as challengers, we want to win the title.”

First half goals from Mohanad Fannoun, Oday Dabbagh, Mahmoud Yousef and Mohamed Darwish laid the foundations for the impressive victory, as Palestine edged DPR Korea for second spot in Group B thanks to a superior goal difference.

Shehab Qumbor duly added a fifth for his side late on to confirm a mouth-watering last eight meeting with Qatar on Friday.

“The match was excellent in every aspect, whether it was technical, tactical, or physical,” Abuwarda told the-AFC.com.

“We were focussed from the start to the finish. We listened to the coach's instructions on the field which definitely helped us win the game and play to the best of our abilities.”

On a day of high octane entertainment, four first half goals laid the foundations for the thrilling victory which saw the Palestinians secure second place on goal difference from their Korean counterparts, and confirm a last eight meeting with Qatar on Friday.

In what was to be a sign of things to come, Palestine raced out of the blocks at the start of the opening half, as first Mohammed Rashid fired narrowly over from distance on five minutes, and then Oday Dabbagh guided a header wide of the post when well-placed shortly after.

That early Palestine pressure was to pay handsome dividends in the 15th minute when Dabbagh’s neat lay-off set up Mohanad Fannoun, who lashed the ball home from fully 20 yards past Thailand goalkeeper Nont Muangngam.

The energetic Dabbagh duly doubled Palestine’s lead on 26 minutes courtesy of a fine run and shot, before Mahmoud Yousef slid the ball under Nont to register a third from close range on the half hour mark after a fine Rashid pass.

 

The loss for DPR Korea, along with Palestine’s 5-1 victory over Thailand, meant Ju Song-il’s side missed out on a second place finish on goal difference.

Takahiro Yanagi and Koji Miyoshi gave Japan a healthy first half lead, and Kim Yu-song’s 52nd minute effort  was wiped out by a penalty converted by Reo Hatate in the 72nd minute.

Japan, who had secured their place in the final eight after beating Thailand on Matchday Two, opted for a complete squad change from their previous match line-up but maintained their disciplined style of play.

DPR Korea played in their usual aggressive style, which forced their East Asian rivals to think quickly on their feet

Yanagi opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Hiroki Ito’s free-kick found him in front of the goalmouth and he made no mistake from close range to take the lead.