AFC Asian Cup Group F: Japan 3-2 Turkmenistan

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published January 09, 2019 | 08:15 PM

Japan were forced to come from behind and survive a late Turkmenistan rally before sealing a 3-2 win over their Central Asian opponents to begin their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group F campaign with a vital, albeit narrow, victory on Wednesday

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 09th Jan, 2019) Japan were forced to come from behind and survive a late Turkmenistan rally before sealing a 3-2 win over their Central Asian opponents to begin their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group F campaign with a vital, albeit narrow, victory on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Yuya Osaka’s brace and a goal from Ritsu Doan proved the difference in a game which had seen four-time champions Japan trailing at half-time before a spirited revival ensured all three points for Hajime Moriyasu’s charges.

The result takes Japan to the top of Group F ahead of the day's later game between group rivals Uzbekistan and Oman in Sharjah.