Shafi the hero as Jordan hold Japan

DOHA - Goalkeeper Amer Shafi was the hero for his side Sunday as Jordan held three-time Asian Cup champions Japan to a 1-1 in a Group B match played in Doha.

Hasan Abdel Fattah gave the Arab nation the lead just before the break, before Maya Yoshida leveled matters with a header two minutes into second half injury-time.

Had it not been for Shafi, who pulled off a number of breathtaking saves and was named as the player of the match, his side would have lost the game.

Japan, whose last defeat was against the Netherlands at the World Cup in June last year (although they went out on penalties against Paraguay in the second) and beat a full-strength Argentina in October, completely dominated the first half.

In front of some 6,000 spectators in the 12,500-seater Qatar SC stadium, the three-time Asian Cup champions failed to capitalise on their chances as Shafi kept their forwards at bay.

The Al-Wihdat custodian had to dive high to punch a Shinji Kagawa that was heading for the top corner away midway through the first half and shortly afterwards denied Yuto Nagatomo with a brilliant save.

In between the Japanese had the ball in the back of the net through Yoshida, but he was ruled offside.

Completely against the run of play Jordan took the lead a minute from the break after Hasan Abdel Fattah’s shot from just inside the penalty area took a wicked deflection off Yoshida and went into goal.

Japan threw everything forward in the second half, with Kagawa, who has taken the Bundesliga by storm in his first season in Germany, controlling the game from his position behind the forward line.

On the hour Makoto Hasebe came close after being found in the area by substitute Shinji Okazaki, but the Vfl Wolfsburg midfielder pulled his powerful strike just wide.

Jordan, who prior to this tournament had qualified only once for the showpiece of Asian football, managed to withhold the pressure their opponents threw at them until the 92nd minute when Kagawa played a corner to Hasebe and his cross found Yoshida in space.

The other two teams in the group, Saudi Arabia and Syria, clash in the later game Sunday.