Japan, Iran advance to final of 4th Asian Futsal Championship

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Japan and defending champion Iran won places in the final of the 4th Asian Futsal Championship after winning their semifinal matches Tuesday. 
Japan, which edged out last year's runner-up Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals, beat Thailand 3-0 after a scoreless first half. 

Ichihara Takaaki scored the first goal in the 26th minute before Maeda Yoshifumi shot home a penalty kick in 33rd minute. Some minutes later Yoshifumi scored his second goal just after Thailand's Tanasit Tong-In was expelled for foul play. 

In the other semifinal match, defending champion Iran routed South Korea 7-4, after a 4-4 draw in the first half. 

Iran dominated with an early lead of 3-0 in the first 30 minutes. South Korea fought back and leveled the score. 

However, Iran was unchallenged in the second half and scored three goals to secure its victory. 

The win strengthened Iran's bid to capture an unprecedented fourth straight title in the tournament. 

Futsal, or indoor soccer, is played by five players per side with two 20-minute periods. 

Fourteen regional teams are participating in the nine-day championship which kicked off at Jakarta's Istora Senayan indoor stadium Oct. 22.