Topics: Asian U-23 Championship, Japan, South Korea
The new Asian U-23 Champions have been crowned after a thrilling final.

Japan are the new Asian Under-23 champions, thanks to their win over South Korea in a thrilling final played in Doha on Saturday at the Abdallah Bin Khalifa Stadium. 

Substitute Takuma Asano scored the 81st minute winner for the Japanese side with a cool finish in front of the Korean goal. After trailing 2-0 early in the second half, Asano led the Japanese through their journey to the historic comeback by scoring the first goal for his side. Yajima then added the second to put the two sides at level. Japan players celebrate winning the Asian U-23 Champions finals against South Korea On the other hand, the Koreans had taken the lead as early as the 23rd minute through a deflected shot from Kwon Chang-hoon, before Jin Seong-uk added the second in the 47th minute.

With the match heading to the final minutes, Asano proved to be the hero for the Japanese side by scoring the title-winning goal. Watch the highlights of the game below:

The two sides have now qualified for the Rio Olympics to be held later this year after reaching the finals of the two-week tournament held in Doha, Qatar. Apart from Japan and South Korea, Iraq also qualified for the Olympics after finishing third, while Qatar are set to miss out after finishing fourth.

Twitter reactions to Asano's performance: