Alberto Zaccheroni dodged his first defeat as Japan manager in the dying minutes as the three-time champion rode Maya Yoshida's equalizer to a 1-1 draw with Jordan in their Asian Cup opener on Sunday.
Yoshida, a central defender for Dutch side Venlo making only his second international appearance, canceled a first-half error that led to Jordan's goal by heading home from a short corner in the second of four minutes of stoppage time.
Jordan drew first blood late in the opening half through Hasan Abdel Fattah, whose shot was redirected into the Japanese net by Yoshida.
Zaccheroni was far from thrilled by the result after Japan controlled 68 percent of the possession and outshot its opponent 17 to 7.