Holder Japan took another step toward its second consecutive Asian Cup title after beating Jordan 4-3 in a nail-biting penalty shootout in the quarterfinals on Saturday night.
Japan's Akira Kaji fights for the ball with Jordan's Haitham Al Shboul during their
Asian Cup quarterfinal match in Chongqing, China.
Bashar Bani Yaseen missed the decisive spot kick as Japan moved into the semifinals after a pulsating encounter at Chongqing Olympic Sports Center finished 1-1 after extra time.
Shunsuke Nakamura and Alessandros Santos missed their spot kicks but Japan came back from 2-0 down to win the penalties 4-3, with the last four Jordan players missing the target partly on superb saves from Kawaguchi.