Soccer-Japan cruise into Asian Cup quarter-finals with 3-1 win over Bahrain

Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Round of 16 - Bahrain v Japan - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - January 31, 2024 Japan's Takefusa Kubo in action with Bahrain's Jasim Al-Shaikh REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

DOHA (Reuters) -Four-times champions Japan eased into the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup with a clinical 3-1 victory over Bahrain on Wednesday at Al Thumama Stadium with goals from Ritsu Doan, Takefusa Kubo and Ayase Ueda.

Bahrain coach Juan Anotnio Pizzi had been looking to heal old wounds after his Saudi Arabia team lost to Japan at the same stage in 2019 but Hajime Moriyasu's side put in a commanding performance and rarely looked troubled against the Gulf nation.