At the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year gala in Zürich, Brazil and Haiti received awards for their fundraising friendly in Port-au-Prince on WED 18 AUG 2004. Brazil also received an award as the top ranked team in the FIFA rankings, and China PR jumped from 86th to 54th over the course of the year, during which they advanced to the Asian Cup final, to win the Best Mover award.

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 17 NOV 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the AFC second round on WED 13 OCT 2004. more...

Japan took an early lead on Takashi FUKUNISHI's header and held on to defeat China PR 3-1 in the final of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in Beijing. Though LI Ming drew the hosts level again shortly thereafter, Japan moved out in front again in the 65th minute when Koji NAKATA deflected in a corner; a furious Chinese side protested handball to no avail. Keiji TAMADA added a third in stoppage time to secure Japan's third continental title. Japanese midfielder Shunsuke NAKAMURA took home the tournament's most valuable player award, whilst A'ala HUBAIL of Bahrain and Ali KARIMI of Iran tied for the tournament lead with five goals.

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.