In the other quarter-final matches, Switzerland beat Russia 4-2 while Brazil overcame Italy 6-4 in a thriller, a press release said.

Portugal looked poised and in control as the match got under way, knocking passes to and from, with the Japanese barely getting a touch on the ball. But Samurai Blue had the first real chance as a shot bounced deceptively over goalkeeper Bruno, requiring an alert team-mate to head it off the line. Bruno was tested again as Hirofumi Oda went close, as was goalkeeper Tomoya Ginoza when Madjer twice tried his luck. As both sides continued to drill the ball goalward, it was evident that the stalemate would soon be broken.

Oda nearly did so after an energetic run through the Portuguese defence, but it was Madjer instead, as he headed home from the doorstep. Bruno Novo rattled the bar for Portugal before Japan relied in-kind. The Japanese spectators got even louder when Tomoya Uehara grabbed an opportunistic equaliser. Dazzling shots were traded at both ends, until Belchoir’s direct-kick bounced into the roof of the net.

Portugal will now face favourites Brazil in the semifinals.

Swiss victory

Russia allowed just five goals during the group stages, a performance that was better than that of any other Dubai 2009 competitor. But Switzerland seemed to have cracked the code this evening.

As soon as the national anthems concluded, the Swiss team gave a coordinated war shout that seemed to reflect the seriousness of their intentions. An early direct kick put the Swiss in front and granted Dejan Stankovic the top slot in the running for the adidas Golden Shoe. Alexey Makarov found the back of the net seconds after the second period began, but Stankovic answered almost immediately with a crisp shot that was too much for goalkeeper Andrey Bukhlitskiy.

Dmitry Shishin had a bullet of a direct-kick turned away, before scoring after having the ball handed to him on a silver platter.  Once again, Stankovic responded, blasting home an overhead kick.