DOHA, Qatar – Three-time champion Japan routed Saudi Arabia 5-0 Monday to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, and Jordan advanced by rallying for a 2-1 victory over Syria.
Shinji Okazaki scored in the eighth, 13th and 80th minutes, and Japan also got goals from Ryoichi Maeda in the 19th and 51st before a crowd of just 2,022 at Al-Rayyan Stadium.
After falling behind on Mohamad al-Zino's 15th-minute goal, Jordan tied it on Ali Dyab's own goal in the 30th and went ahead when Odai al-Saify scored in the 59th.
Japan and Jordan (2-0-1) both advanced from Group B with seven points, followed by Syria (1-2) with three and Saudi Arabia (0-3) with none.
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Japan plays Qatar and Jordan meets Uzbekistan.
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