The Iranians had not beaten Japan in 19 years while their victory also extended coach Amir Ghalenoei's unbeaten streak to 16 matches since he took charge in March.
When the final whistle blew, the Iran bench emptied onto the pitch and their emotional captain Jahanbakhsh dropped to the turf in relief while many players wept tears of joy.
"It was unbelievable," said the match winner on beIN Sports. "It's just so much emotions now, very difficult for me to describe my feelings. It's unbelievable what we did as a team today, great performance.
"We had a strong belief before the game that we can make it through.
It was a tough game, Japan are a good side but we were on top of the game.
"I would like to dedicate this win to the people of Iran, we love them, and we played with our hearts today and that makes all the difference."
Denne historien er fra February 04, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra February 04, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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