The score broke the deadlock 1-0 in the 28th minute when a long pass from the Japanese backfield was stopped by Makoto Hosoya, who turned and shot the ball.
Japan extended their lead to 2-0 in the 43rd minute with a series of fluid partnerships in front of goal. Finally, Ryotaro Araki broke through the Iraqi defense once again with a one-touch push on goal.
The second half resumed with Japan continuing to control the game, keeping the goal intact in the face of Iraqi counterattacks.
By eliminating Iraq, Japan returned to the Asian Cup final after eight years and locked up an early berth in the Paris Olympics.
Statistically, this is the 12th time Japan has advanced to the Olympics and the eighth in a row, meaning that Olympic men's soccer has not been absent since the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Earlier in the first semifinal, the Uzbekistan Olympics took on the Indonesia Olympics in the first match between the two teams. In the end, Uzbekistan dominated, relying on goals from Norchayev and opposing defenders to beat Indonesia 2-0 and advance to the final with five consecutive wins and a goal.
This is the first time in history that Uzbekistan has qualified for the Olympics. Indonesia still has a chance to miss the final. As long as they finish third in this tournament, they can also qualify for the Olympic final for the first time.
Our Chinese Olympics stopped the group stage early with early round losses to Japan and South Korea. We beat the UAE in the final round of the Battle for Honor, ending a seven-game losing streak in the U23 Asian Cup and setting a best-ever record with a ninth-place finish.
