“I might not be able to go to the 16th robber?”
Japan, which was considered a strong candidate to win the Qatar Asian Cup, lost to Iraq in vain. In the second Group D match between Iraq and Qatar held at Education City Stadium in Alayyan, Qatar on Wednesday (Korea time), Japan lost to Iraq 1-2 after allowing two goals in the first half alone.
Although Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) was the starter, he operated his elite strength, but in reality, he showed only poor defense and blunt attack, overshadowing the evaluation that he was the “zero-ranked winner.” Japan, which failed to prevent Iraq’s counterattack despite its overwhelming 7-3 ball occupancy in the first half, finished the first half 0-2 by allowing tall striker Aymen Hussein to score multiple goals in the 5th minute and extra time of the first half.
Having enjoyed a shocking first half, Japanese coach Takehiro Tomiyasu attempted to make up for himself by putting in Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arnall) at the start of the second half. However, the game did not go as planned. It seemed as if he would get a penalty kick at 11 minutes in the second half, but it was canceled after VARs. In a hurry, the coach deployed a large number of players from European leagues such as Ayase Ueda (Peyenoord), Doan Ritz (Freiburg), Daizen Maeda and Leo Hatate (Celtic). Still, the situation did not change. At least, he managed to avoid losing the game when Endo had a header goal at set piece situations in extra time in the second half.
As Japan lost to Iraq, its goal of advancing to the round of 16 as the No. 1 player in its group has effectively gone up in smoke. If Iraq, which has recorded two consecutive wins, wins its third match against Vietnam, which was defeated by Japan, it will become the No. 1 player. Japan will meet Indonesia, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, in the third match. Japan is clearly ahead in terms of its objective strength.
However, unexpected results can always come out in soccer. Japan’s 1-2 loss to Iraq is also an unexpected result. As of the end of last year, Japan ranked 17th in the FIFA rankings, ranking first among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) countries. For this reason, Japan was evaluated as the “zero winner” at the upcoming Asian Cup. The Japanese national team’s confidence was soaring.
However, some say that Japan is not as strong as expected when the team opened the lid. In the match against Vietnam, which was the first Group D match, Japan scored consecutive goals at set piece situations after Minamino scored the first goal, before narrowly winning the game again with a 4-2 victory 헤라카지노도메인.
He went on to kneel down 1-2 against Iraq, which is ranked 63rd in the FIFA rankings. If it wasn’t for Endo’s goal in extra time in the second half, the game would have been a 0-2 loss. He called for his “goal to win” by mobilizing all of the European leagues, but he has fallen short of the assessment that he is a “top contender.”
Therefore, it is possible to predict the number of cases in which Japan fails to advance to the round of 16. Most certainly, if Japan is eliminated, Indonesia will be ranked second in the group. For now, Indonesia can win its second match against Vietnam and defeat Japan with its momentum. Then, Indonesia will advance to the round of 16 with two wins and one loss. Japan will be in third place with one win and two losses, and cannot reach the round of 16 on its own. We have to wait and see the results of other groups, but if the results of the third-place team fall behind, we could face a catastrophe of falling to the round of 16.
It is very rare, but there may be cases where Vietnam overtakes Japan. Vietnam lost to Japan, so if it is tied, it will fall behind in the winner’s winning principle.
Therefore, the only cases in which Vietnam can overtake Japan is to defeat Indonesia and Iraq one after another, and Japan loses to Indonesia at the same time. If this happens, Iraq and Vietnam will advance to the round of 16 with two wins and one loss, while Japan and Indonesia will both have one win and two losses.
If this happens, Japan will be pushed to the fourth place in its group and have to take a plane home to Indonesia, according to the rule of winner. Considering the development of the Asian Cup so far, this scenario is not impossible at all.