Japan downed South Korea 4-3 on penalties Friday to clinch the gold medal at the East Asian Games and end their Asian archrival's hopes of a third straight title in the regional competition.
Japanese captain Tadaaki Hirakawa drove home the winner from the spot in a nail-biting shoot-out after neither side could break the 1-1 deadlock in extra time in a tense semifinal at Osaka's Expo Stadium.
Australia then downed Kazakstan 1-0 in the second semifinal -- thanks to a 30th-minute penalty from Michael Ferrante -- to guarantee the gold medal for the host nation.