In a stunning turn of events that has shaken the Asian Cup, Iraq clinches a victory against the favourites, Japan, in a 2-1 match. Iraqi coach Jesus Casas praises the team's effort, hailing it as a "great day for Iraqi people", and believes the game was "close to perfect".

Hussein scored two goals during the first half, in front of nearly 40,000 people in Doha, marking Japan's first defeat in 26 group stage matches in the Asian Cup. This could potentially place Japan in a collision course with South Korea in the last 16.

During the final moments of the game, Iraq had to maintain composure as Liverpool's Wataru Endo pulled a goal back for Japan. Iraq, previously the winners of the 2007 Asian Cup, dream of another major upset this year after proving their mettle against Japan.

Meanwhile, Indonesia also carved a victory against Vietnam, owing to a penalty scored by Asnawi Mangkualam in the 42nd minute.

Japan's preparation to compete against Iraq was intensive, as evidenced by their 10-match winning streak and 43 goals. They even overcame Spain and Germany to reach the last 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, they were no match for the raw power and aggression shown by Iraq's team during the game.

Iran also advanced to the last 16 alongside Iraq, Australia, and Qatar, making it through with a narrow 1-0 win against Hong Kong. Despite the apparent mismatch, with Iran ranking 21st in the world and Hong Kong 150th, the game was more competitive than expected. The only goal of the match came from Mehdi Ghayedi in the 24th minute, securing Iran's place in the next stage.