The United Arab Emirates (UAE) beat Japan 5-4 on penalties on Friday at Stadium Australia in Sydney to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup alongside Australia, Iraq and South Korea. The UAE gave a good performance and fought hard to beat the Japanese titleholder after the teams finished at 1-1 at the end of normal time and extra-time. Defender Ahmed Ismail calmly shot the winning penalty after Shinji Kagawa missed the sixth penalty for Japan, sending the UAE through to the semi-finals against Australia, the host of the tournament. The UAE initially took the lead when Ali Ahmed Mabkhout scored a brilliant goal very early in the first half. Japan drew level in the 81st minute when Gaku Shibasaki equalised after frequent, intense attacks on the UAE goal throughout match.