Uzbekistan and Japan qualify for men's Olympic soccer by reaching U23 Asian Cup final

Uzbekistan qualified for men's Olympic soccer after years of near-misses by reaching the Under-23 Asian Cup final.

The Uzbeks beat Indonesia 2-0 in the semifinals on Monday in Doha, Qatar, and will face Japan for the title on Friday.

Japan secured an eighth consecutive Olympic appearance with a 2-0 win over Iraq.

The top three teams qualify automatically for the Paris Games, and Iraq and Indonesia will meet in Thursday’s playoff to decide the remaining place.

Uzbekistan has had an unlucky run. It won the biennial Asian tournament in the non-Olympic years of 2018 and 2022. In 2020, the team finished fourth, missing out on the Tokyo Games after losing the playoff against Australia.

There was no heartbreak this time. After Indonesia found the back of the net but had a goal disallowed for offside, Khusain Norchaev scored midway through the second half to give Uzbekistan the lead.

Indonesia's hopes of an equalizer were set back when Rizky Ridho was sent off in the 84th, leaving his team with 10 men. Uzbekistan doubled the margin four minutes from time when Pratama Arhan conceded an own goal.

Uzbekistan captain Abdurauf Buriev was delighted to secure an historic Olympic berth but still wanted the Asian title.

“It's a very big moment in my career but I cannot say anything (more) because it was a very emotional match and we still have one game to prepare for,” the midfielder said. “There was no pressure on me by being the captain, it gave me some additional motivation and I focused on the game and obtaining the victory.”

Japan scored twice in the first half to take control against Iraq, with captain Joel Fujita instrumental in creating chances for Mao Hosoya and Ryotaro Araki.

The Indonesia-Iraq loser will face Guinea in a playoff in May with a place in Paris at stake.

Indonesia, which upset Australia in the group stage and then edged South Korea in a shootout after their quarterfinal finished 2-2, is aiming to reach the Olympic tournament for the first time since the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia.

This story has been corrected to fix the Japan-Iraq score to 2-0.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Japan's Moa Hosoya, left, celebrates after he scored during a U-23 Asian Cup semi-final match between Iraq and Japan in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

Iraq's Ali Basim Mohamed, left, and Japan's Riku Handa fight for the ball during a U-23 Asian Cup semi-final match between Iraq and Japan in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

Nihad Mohammed. left, and Kota Takai run for the ball during a U-23 Asian Cup semi-final match between Iraq and Japan in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

Japan's players pose for a photo after the U-23 Asian Cup semi-final match between Iraq and Japan in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

Japan's players celebrate after U-23 Asian Cup semi-final match between Iraq and Japan in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — An exhaustive rescue operation to find missing construction workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in South Africa will end on Friday after nearly two weeks and with 19 people still unaccounted for, authorities said.

At least 33 people have been confirmed dead after the collapse of the unfinished five-story apartment complex in the city of George on the country's south coast on May 6.

That death toll is expected to ultimately increase to over 50 as it changes to a recovery and clear-up operation. The decision, announced by the George municipality and its disaster response unit, means rescuers don't expect to find anyone else alive in the debris and are presuming that the remaining 19 workers who have been missing for 12 days are dead.

The tragedy was one of South Africa's worst building collapses. Authorities say there were 81 workers on the site when the building came down. They say that 29 survivors were pulled from the rubble, with some of those still hospitalized.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the collapsed building on Thursday to show support for the victims' families, emergency workers and others who have been on the site for more than 250 hours, working night and day in shifts to try and find survivors.

More than 600 emergency responders and other personnel were part of the search in the days after the collapse, although that had been scaled down.

There were some remarkable stories of survival amid the thousands of tons of concrete that collapsed, including a man who was found alive after being trapped for six days without food and water. Rescuers said he incredibly had only minor injuries.

As the rescue operation ends, the building will be handed over to the national department of employment and labor to conduct an investigation into the collapse, city authorities said. There will be multiple other investigations, including by police and the provincial Western Cape government.

Many of the workers were foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The construction contractors responsible for the building have come under scrutiny and the investigations will probe whether they adhered to safety standards. The building was due to be completed in July or August.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Rescue teams at the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Rescue teams are into a third day searching for dozens of construction workers buried in the rubble of an unfinished five-story apartment building that collapsed in South Africa. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

Rescue personnel search the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa, Thursday, May 9, 2024. Rescue teams searching for dozens of construction workers missing after a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in the coastal city have not brought out more survivors in the past 24 hours. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

The scene of a collapsed building in George, South Africa, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Five workers have been killed with 49 still trapped after the building under construction collapsed Monday. (AP Photo)

Residents watch rescue workers search the site of a building collapse in George, South Africa, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Rescue teams are searching for dozens of construction workers missing after a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in the coastal city have brought out more survivors as the operation entered a second night of desperate work to find anyone alive in the mangled wreckage. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Emergency workers on the scene of a building collapse in the city of George, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Rescue teams trying to find dozens of construction workers missing since a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa have made contact with 11 people buried alive beneath the mangled wreckage, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

A survivor is bought to the surface at the scene of a building collapse in the city of George, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Rescue teams trying to find dozens of construction workers missing since a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa have made contact with 11 people buried alive beneath the mangled wreckage, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)