The 2004 AFC Asian Cup final between China PR and Japan will cap off a wild tournament that has seen its share of lopsided scorelines as well as hotly contested matches. Surprising results in the group phase included Uzbekistan's finish as the only team to win all three matches, each by 1-0 margins. In the same group, Saudi Arabia flamed out with a single point, sacking coach Gerard VAN DER LEM immediately after the last match. In one quarterfinal, China PR dismissed Iraq 3-0; the next day Ali KARIMI scored a hat trick to lead Iran to a 4-3 win over Korea Rep. China PR won the semifinal between the teams on penalties after Yahya GOLMOHAMMADI's attempt was saved easily by Chinese keeper LIU Yunfei. The Bahrain-Japan semifinal was another thrilling encounter as Japan, down a goal and down a man at halftime, mounted a furious fightback to move in front. After falling behind again with five minutes left, Yuji NAKAZAWA equalised in the 90th minute with a diving header to force overtime. Keiji TAMADA scored three minutes into overtime, and although A'ala HUBAIL had a golden opportunity to tie it yet again, Japan were able to hold on for the memorable 4-3 win. The China PR-Japan final is in Beijing at 12:00 UTC on SAT 07 AUG 2004.