Japan dominated the first half but could not reap the rewards their intensity deserved.

Daniel Posch pulled off a brilliant save low to his right after Florian Hofman accidentally flicked Shimon Kobayashi’s corner towards his own goal.

The Austrian goalkeeper was in his element throughout the opening half, making two more smart saves to deny Daigo Hirashima on both occasions.

The European side broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half after a short corner found Johannes Moser in space, with the midfielder’s low strike coming through a sea of players which left Shuji Muramatsu unsighted.

Muramatsu then was forced to make a finger-tip save to push Hasan Deshishku’s effort onto the post.

A well-worked move saw Taiga Seguchi find Hirota Asada in the box but the forward’s powerfully struck shot was palmed away by the impressive Posch as Austria held on until the final whistle.

Austria will face either Italy or Burkina Faso in the semi-finals.

Photos: FIFA via Getty Images