Japan take on UAE in football final

Japan inched closer to winning their first Asian Games football gold medal by beating four-time champions Iran 2-1.

GUANGZHOU: Japan inched closer to their dream of winning their first Asian Games football gold medal by coming from behind to beat four-time champions Iran 2-1 in a nail-biting semi-final in the Asian Games being held in China.

Striker Arash Afshin opened the scoring for Iran on six minutes before Kota Mizunuma drew Japan level seven minutes before half-time with the classy Kensuke Nagai grabbing the winner on 60 minutes.

Japan eyes UAE clash

Awaiting them in Thursday’s final will be the UAE, who have never appeared in an Asiad final. The UAE defeated South Korea 1-0 with the last kick of extra-time in their semi-final. South Korea, the gold medallists in 1986, had wasted the best opportunities of the game, and they were made to pay when centre-forward Ahmed Al Abry slotted the ball past substitute goal-keeper Lee Bum-Young.

Shuai keeps gold for China

Meanwhile, Peng Shuai kept the women’s singles gold medal in Chinese hands when she claimed a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Uzbekistan’s Akgul Amanmuradova. Her achievement was matched by India’s Somdev Devvarman who stunned top-seed Uzbek Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-2 to take the men’s singles.

Maryam Jamal lived up to her world champion billing by easily defending her 1500-metre title to lead her adopted country Bahrain to double gold. The Ethiopian-born Jamal, who bagged 1500-metre titles at both the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, dominated a slow-paced race she never looked like losing. “I’m feeling good and I’m just happy winning,” said Jamal, adding she “controlled the race from the start”. AFP

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2010.