If Japan had won the match, it could have overtaken Germany, which is ranked 16th in the FIFA rankings. However, that was only a dream. Japan is on the verge of being eliminated from the group qualifiers, which soccer has not met in the World Cup. This is unlikely, but if you lose the next match, you will be eliminated. 동행복권파워볼
Since the last World Cup, Japan has continuously declared its withdrawal from Asia. Coach Moriyasu Hajime and his players continued to knock on the global stage, publicly announcing their goal to win the World Cup within 10 years.
Clearly, Japanese soccer has made tremendous strides. It is a remarkable achievement to defeat Germany for the second time in a row following the World Cup, and to beat Spain in the World Cup. The same applies to 11 consecutive A matches, including closed exhibition matches.
After losing the match against Iraq, Japanese media Soccer Digest said in an article, “Only when we beat such an opponent can the ‘World Cup win’ that Moriyasu and Endo call a realistic goal… If you suffer a defeat like the match against Iraq, that goal also feels clichéd.”
However, Tokyo`s cool-headed performance at the upcoming Asian Cup is not as good as expected. Japan, which ranks 17th and the highest among Asian countries in the FIFA rankings, lost to Iraq, which ranks 63rd, which is considered the best surprise in both last year and this year.
In addition, Japan has as many as 20 overseas players. Only Kauru Mitoma has not been able to come out, but Japan is participating in the Asian Cup as the best member.
However, it is not just this match against Iraq. Vietnam almost lost to Vietnam in the first round of the qualifying round if it made a mistake. Vietnam was the opponent team that Korea beat by a large margin 6-0 in an A match in August.
Japan, however, conceded two goals in the first half alone, trailed 1-2 at one point, and managed to win after a thumping match with an injured Gubo. The second match against Iraq was also unfortunate to dismiss the Vietnam match as unfamiliarity in the first match.
Japan lost 1-2 to Iraq, where Aymen Hussein scored multiple goals in the second Group D match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Education City Stadium in Alaiyan, Qatar on the 19th.
Due to the defeat on the day, Japan fell to second place in the group (scoring 6.2) behind Iraq (scoring 6.2) with one loss. If Japan loses the next match, it will be eliminated from the preliminary round. Japan suspended its winning streak since an exhibition match against El Salvador in June last year, which had been going on for 10 consecutive games. If the exhibition match against Jordan right before the tournament is added, Japan has won 11 consecutive games.
In particular, he failed to stop Iraq’s left fullback Ahmed Yahya at all in the first half. Yahya was the player who drew the ire of Korean fans when he hit Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) in the face at the last minute in the warm-up match against Iraq just before the tournament.
Iraq scored the first goal in the fifth minute of the first half. Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki Zaion hit a cross that Ali Zaasim put close to the goal post from the left side, which was aimed at striker Aimen Hussein who was trying to drive in front of the goal post, and Hussein used a header to break the goal post.
Japan raised the level of its offensive further, but the right continued to be penetrated by Iraq’s Yahya, and eventually lost an additional point in the 49th minute of the first half. As Yahya dug into the left and crossed, Hussein rushed to the gate and scored again this time.
Japan, which used all five replacement cards, scored Hatate’s corner kick from the left in the 48th minute of the second half with Endo Wataru’s head, but failed to turn the tide. It is the first time in 42 years that Japan lost to Iraq since the 1982 Asian Games (Iraq 1-0 win).
In recent years, Japan has overwhelmed Korea in indirect comparison. At the same time, Japan won two consecutive games and Korea lost one draw and one loss, drawing and one loss, which were also subject to ridicule. However, now the situation has changed. Japan lost face to Vietnam and Iraq, where they lost 0-6 and 0-1 to Korea, respectively.