Aymen Hussein's Heroics Propel Iraq to Victory Over Asian Cup Favorites Japan

Iraq caused a major upset in the Asian Cup by defeating favorites Japan and securing a spot in the knockout stages. Aymen Hussein played a crucial role, scoring a first-half double with powerful headers putting Iraq in control. The surprising victory marked the first time in 42 years that Japan, ranked 17th globally had lost to Iraq, ranked 63rd. Despite Liverpool’s Wataru Endo scoring a late goal for Japan, it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.

Japan now faces the challenge of securing a positive result against Indonesia in their final group game to advance while Iraq having beaten Indonesia earlier can strategically manage their lineup against Vietnam. The top two teams in each group advance automatically, along with the four best third-placed teams. Hosts Qatar and Australia have already secured their places in the knockout stages.