Japan had won its only previous appearance in an AFC Asian Cup final, when they hosted the 1992 tournament, while Saudi Arabia were playing their fifth consecutive, and in total. The 2000 final was set up to be a repeat of the 1992 final, in which Japan beat Saudi Arabia 1–0. Indeed, 1–0 would also be the scoreline of the 2000 final: after Saudi Arabia's Hamzah Falatah missed a penalty, Japan scored in the first half thanks to a Shigeyoshi Mochizuki goal in the first half. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi's numerous saves, which denied Saudi Arabia from scoring, earned him the Man of the Match award.