“A hat-trick obviously feels good, but I missed many good opportunities, which won’t do in the future rounds,” said Oba. “As a team, we are pleased to have won by a wide margin, but there are certain gaps we need to address before our next match.”

The 2023 runners-up will face the winners of Thursday’s quarter-final clash between Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and Oba, who plies his trade for Tokyo Verdy Beach Soccer Club, is eager to erase the memory of their defeat to Islamic Republic of Iran in the final of the previous edition and reclaim their lost glory.

“None of us have forgotten the defeat, and for the past two years, we have trained every single day to clinch the title this year,” said Oba.

“The next match is very important, no matter who we play against. Thankfully, we are familiar with both Oman and the UAE. I have faith that we will win our next game and take another step towards our main goal, which is to win the title.”

As Lebanon bowed out of the competition, captain Mohamad Merhi refused to be disheartened, expressing his satisfaction with the resilience shown by the squad while facing a side as formidable as Japan.

“We are quite satisfied with our overall performance. We are pleased to have made it into the knockout stage, and it’s unfortunate that we were pitted against Japan,” said the number eight.

“We started the game well, but I feel we made too many errors along the way, which we had to pay for.

“However, we have learnt a lot from the Asian Cup, and we are hopeful about our future performances, as there are many promising players. We will continue working hard and preparing the future generations to represent Lebanon on the continental stage.”