Jakarta. Host nation Indonesia produced a historic performance on Thursday night, defeating Japan 5–3 after extra time in the semifinals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 to reach the final for the first time.

Indonesia will face defending champions Iran national futsal team, who earlier beat Iraq national futsal team 4–2 in the other semifinal.

Playing in front of a packed crowd at Jakarta’s Indonesia Arena, Indonesia started confidently and surged to a 2–0 lead within 23 minutes through goals from Samuel Eko and Ardiansyah Nur.

Japan pulled one back in the 31st minute via Takehiro Motoishi, sparking a comeback from the four-time champions. With five minutes remaining, Kazuya Shimizu fired in from the flank to level the score at 2–2.

The home crowd erupted again three minutes later when Firman Adriansyah restored Indonesia’s lead with a swift counterattack, making it 3–2.

Drama followed in the final seconds of regulation time when Japan were awarded a penalty after Mochammad Iqbal Iskandar was ruled to have handled the ball. Shimizu converted from the spot with just 38 seconds left, forcing extra time at 3–3.

Backed by relentless crowd support, Indonesia regained the advantage early in the additional period through Reza Gunawan before Dewa Rizki sealed the victory with a fifth goal.

The result sent Indonesia into uncharted territory, eliminating Japan national futsal team and setting up a daunting final against Iran, the tournament’s most successful side.

Iran is chasing a record-extending 14th Asian title, making Saturday’s final a formidable test for Indonesia as they aim to complete a fairytale run on home soil.

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