.png) TheCamille Chamoun Sports City Stadium(pictured in 2018) hosted the final | |||||||
| Event | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 20 October 2000 (2000-10-20) | ||||||
| Venue | Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium,Beirut | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Japan)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates) | ||||||
| Attendance | 49,500[1] | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy 21 °C (70 °F) 68%humidity[2] | ||||||
←1996 2004 → | |||||||
The2000 AFC Asian Cup final was afootball match which determined the winner of the2000 AFC Asian Cup, the 12th edition of theAFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of theAsian Football Confederation. The match was held at theCamille Chamoun Sports City Stadium inBeirut, Lebanon, on 20 October 2000 and was contested byJapan andSaudi Arabia.
Japan had won its only previous appearance in an AFC Asian Cup final, when they hosted the1992 tournament, while Saudi Arabia were playing their fifth consecutive, and in total. The 2000 final was set up to be a repeat of the 1992 final, in which Japan beat Saudi Arabia 1–0. Indeed, 1–0 would also be the scoreline of the 2000 final: after Saudi Arabia'sHamzah Falatah missed a penalty, Japan scored in the first half thanks to aShigeyoshi Mochizuki goal in the first half.Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi's numerous saves, which denied Saudi Arabia from scoring, earned him the Man of the Match award.
TheCamille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, located inBeirut, Lebanon, hosted the 2000 AFC Asian Cup Final.[3] The 49,500-seat stadium was built in 1957, and is primarily used by theLebanon national football team.[4] It was the main stadium used to host the 2000 Asian Cup; six matches were played in the stadium including the opening match and the final.[5][3]
| Japan | Round | Saudi Arabia | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponents | Result | Group stage | Opponents | Result |
 Saudi Arabia | 4–1 | Match 1 |  Japan | 1–4 |
 Uzbekistan | 8–1 | Match 2 |  Qatar | 0–0 |
| Qatar | 1–1 | Match 3 | Uzbekistan | 5–0 |
| Group C winners | Final standings | Group C runners-up | ||
| Opponents | Result | Knockout stage | Opponents | Result |
 Iraq | 4–1 | Quarter-finals |  Kuwait | 3–2 (a.e.t.) |
 China | 3–2 | Semi-finals |  South Korea | 2–1 |
The match kicked off at 16:00local time in Beirut at theCamille Chamoun Sports City Stadium,[6] in front of an announced attendance of 49,500 spectators.[1] In the 10th minute of play, Japanese midfielderShigeyoshi Mochizuki fouled opposing midfielderTalal Al-Meshal in the box; however, Saudi Arabian strikerHamzah Idris missed the subsequent penalty.[1] The Japanese side came close to scoring twice, with two attacking opportunities by strikerNaohiro Takahara, before Mochizuki scored from close range after afree kick byShunsuke Nakamura from the left.[1] In the 42nd minute Japan had an opportunity to double the lead after Nakamura hit the crossbar.[1]
In the second half of the game, Saudi Arabia responded with their own attacking play, moving the momentum in their favour.[1] SubstituteMohammad Al-Shalhoub and midfielderNawaf Al-Temyat both missed from long range, before Al-Shalhoub forced Japanese goalkeeperYoshikatsu Kawaguchi to produce a "spectacular" save in the 59th minute.[1] Five minutes later, Kawaguchi saved a header from Al-Meshal.[1] Japan's attacking occasions in the second half came from counterattacks.[1]
Japanese strikerAtsushi Yanagisawa was subbed on in the 80th minute, before being subbed off only seven minutes later;Philippe Troussier, Japan's manager, stated: "[Yanagisawa] didn't do what I asked him to".[1] Noted as the "best save of the match", in the 87th minute Kawaguchi dove to his right to save a 25-meter shot byNawaf Al-Temyat.[1] The match ended 1–0 to Japan and Kawaguchi was awarded the Man of the Match award.[1]
| Japan | 1–0 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
          Japan |  Saudi Arabia |
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Man of the Match: |
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