Being defeated by Iran at the buzzer 2:1 in the quarter-finals of this Asian Cup and missing out on the semi-finals was an "unexpected event" for the Japanese team, ranked first in Asia and determined to hit the top eight or even the top four in the World Cup. , Head coach Mori Yasuichi's worried speech at the post-match press conference proved this: "I feel very sorry. Our team put in their best efforts for this game, but we were defeated by the Iranian team and can only win this game." I have left the Asian Cup now and I will be responsible for the result."
On the media shuttle bus leaving the Education City Stadium, the excitement of the Iranian reporters was in sharp contrast to the silence of the Japanese reporters. Although the reporters were relatively friendly to each other, they were different from the 2019 Mori Yasuichi led the Japanese team in the UAE Asian Cup semi-finals 3: Compared with the 0 elimination of the Iranian team to enter the final, the significance of the Iranian team's successful revenge is not only to continue to advance in the Asian Cup. After all, the Iranian team has played against the Japanese team 4 times in the past, and the Iranian team has two draws and two losses and is at an absolute disadvantage.
Mohebi, who came on as a substitute for suspended striker Taremi, equalized the score in this knockout match and sounded the counterattack horn. After the game, he attributed the victory to the entire team: "Taremi and I talked for half an hour before the game. He wants to help me get the best out of me.”
Iran coach Amir Galenoi said the win was a "turning point" for Iranian football. "It's a turning point not just for the national team, but for the youth team, it's a turning point for Iranian football. There are a lot of great coaches in Iran, although they never had the chance to coach in Europe. We have long-term plans, including government-backed infrastructure and stadiums. Construction." Amir said, "Hoichi Mori is my friend. They have many excellent players playing in top European leagues, but we use high-intensity pressing ideas to limit their midfield organization. This is the key to us winning the game. .”
"High-intensity pressure" is easy to say but difficult to implement. The Iranian team has this ability. Their pressure allowed the Japanese team to set a record for the lowest number of shots on target in a single game since 2007: Japan's first 4 games in this Asian Cup 16 shots on target, but only two in this game.
The Japanese team lost a total of two games in Doha: they lost to Iraq 1:2 in the second round of the group stage, and were reversed and eliminated by Iran in the quarter-finals 1:2. Being able to defeat Germany and Spain in the World Cup, but losing to two West Asian opponents with similar technical and tactical styles in the Asian Cup by the same score, Japanese football has not yet had the absolute talent to lead this team out of the bottleneck period. Superstar.
"We played a total of 5 games in the Asian Cup and conceded goals in every game, whether it was set pieces or positional battles. This is a bad phenomenon. If we always allow our opponents to score, then we will not win the game. victory." Mori Yasuichi said, "This is not just a problem on the defensive line, we also have problems on offense."
After the host Qatar team narrowly defeated Uzbekistan on penalty kicks, there are three final games left in this Asian Cup. The two semi-finals are Jordan vs. South Korea and Iran vs. Qatar.
No matter which team among the top four advances to the finals, based on the matchups presented in the 48 games that have ended in this Asian Cup, it is not difficult to draw a conclusion: in terms of actual combat capabilities, the gap between Asia’s top teams and the world’s top teams There are signs of expansion, but the gap between the third-tier teams and the second-tier teams in Asia is shrinking rapidly. The victory or defeat between the second-tier teams and the first-tier teams is determined by the coaches' strategies and the players' on-the-spot performance.
The widening gap lies in the less-than-stellar performance of the Japanese and South Korean teams—these two top Asian teams, which set their sights on the European level, did not pay enough vigilance to the Asian competition, which resulted in the teams entering the state too slowly and Players' concentration on the court is affected - the gap narrows because Jordan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have entered the top 8, replacing China, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates in the top 8 of the 2019 Asian Cup, and 4 games and 1/4 The two finals ended in overtime, one of which was a penalty shootout, and the other one was a buzzer-beater. The four quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup were all resolved within 90 minutes without any suspense. Going back to the vertical comparison of the top four teams, Iran, Japan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates entered the top four in the last Asian Cup. Now Iran and Qatar are about to meet in the semi-finals. South Korea and Jordan have replaced the Japanese and Jordan teams. UAE team.
As many as 6 Asian teams have been shortlisted for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Three teams from Japan, South Korea, and Australia have advanced to the top 16. The Saudi team, which did not qualify, defeated Argentina 2:1, and the Iranian team also defeated Wales 2:0. Although the breakthrough of Asian football is still in the process of brewing, the main theme of world football competition is still Europe and South America. Even if the number of Asian places in the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup is expanded to 8.5, the attribute of "study with the prince" will not be there. Too many changes - but even so, Chinese fans still hope that "entering the World Cup" can change the development trend of Chinese football.
The national football team, which left the Asian Cup early, is currently in the process of selecting a coach, and there is not much time left for the new coach and the new national football team to run in. Facing the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, the national football team can only complete the "coach change" first and then consider the rest.
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Guo Jian Source: China Youth Daily
Version 08, February 6, 2024