Luck may have been on Japan's side, but then who can claim they didn't play the best football out of all Asian and African teams? What is football all about then? They came, they played well against some good teams and got their luck when it counted.
Iran should really try to copy some of Japan's long term activities in football. These guys lacked talent, physic and even passion for the game just 2 decades ago. Look where they are now.