Good game. Nice atmosphere. Stadium was almost full, more than 37,000, including about 5,000 totally-into-it Japan fans. Lots of scoring opportunities for both sides. Two complete different styles of soccer, which made it fun. Like a wishbone team against a run-and-shoot team.

Japan won on the strength of a 109th-minute goal by an unlikely hero — a guy making only his second appearance with the Blue Samurai.

I wrote about this for The National, and now I have an Asian Cup final on the resume.

I was rooting a little for the Australians, because they’ve never won anything meaningful. Before the game, I did a story on how this could have been the last roundup for the guys who put Australia on the soccer map, players like Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill and Mark Schwartzer, all of them in their 30s. By the time the 2014 World Cup rolls around, never mind the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia … well, mid-30s is old, in soccer.

But Japan was quicker and faster and in better condition, and when they caught Australia up the field in extra time … well, they finally converted a scoring chance on a really nice goal.

Japan deserved to win, and that’s four Asian Cup championships now for them, breaking a tie for most by one nation. Iran and Saudi Arabia have three each. Australia … still stuck at zero, but this was only their second try at this “Asia” thing.

Back to Abu Dhabi in the morning, inshallah.