Japan moved to within touching distance of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 knockout phase on Sunday as Genki Haraguchi’s first-half penalty helped the Samurai Blue seal a narrow 1-0 win over Oman.
Japan's hard-fought victory saw Hajime Moriyasu’s charges record their second win of the campaign and guarantee the four-time champions of Asia a place in the Round of 16 should Turkmenistan draw or lose when they play Uzbekistan in the group’s later game.
The result also meant Japan – excluding penalty shoot-outs – extended their record of only losing once in their last 30 games at the AFC Asian Cup Finals since being beaten by Saudi Arabia in the 2007 semi-finals.
Japan are set to complete their group stage fixtures when they face Uzbekistan on Thursday in Al Ain, with Oman playing Turkmenistan on the same day.
