Coach Hajime waiting for the game to start
Moriyasu Japan, which had a bad day, ended up losing to Iran, putting an early stop to its bid to win its 5th Asian Cup.
Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, lost 1-2 to Iran in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 3rd.
Japan, which holds the record for the most Asian Cup wins (4 times), was selected as the top candidate to win this tournament. Sports media as well as betting companies viewed Japan as having the highest chance of winning.
As expected, Japan was evaluated as the best in terms of game content among Asian teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, held about a year ago.
They surprised everyone by defeating Spain and Germany 2-1 in succession and advanced to the round of 16.
Even after the World Cup, Lake Moriyasu was on a roll. Last September, they won 4-1 in an away friendly match against Germany.
Suzuki Zion lowers his head
(Al Rayyan = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki Ja, who lost 1-2 in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup quarterfinal match between Iran and Japan held at Al Rayyan Education City Stadium in Qatar on the 3rd (local time) Ion is feeling discouraged. 2024.2.3 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
There is even an assessment that there is no rival for Japan in Asia.
However, when the Qatar Asian Cup began, the Moriyasu collapsed from ‘inside’.
Zion Suzuki, the mixed-race goalkeeper whom coach Moriyasu ambitiously appointed as the starting player, showed very unstable performance.
Suzuki, who plays for Sint-Truiden in Belgium, is a highly anticipated prospect who received an offer from England’s prestigious Manchester United.
However, when he actually stood on the Asian Cup stage, he made a series of mistakes.
Japan conceded goals in every game from the group stage to the quarterfinals, many of which were due to Suzuki’s erroneous play.
In the end, it was largely Suzuki’s fault that Japan advanced to the round of 16 by falling to second place rather than first place in Group D.
As they advanced to the round of 16 by finishing second in their group, Japan had to face ‘difficult enemy’ Iran in the quarterfinals relatively early, and were ultimately eliminated early.
After Japan struggled to reach the round of 16, a stir was caused when key striker Junya Ito was accused of sexual misconduct.
Controversial Ito
(Doha = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Round of 16 match between Bahrain and Japan held at the Assumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 31st (local time). Junya Ito is waiting for the game to start on the bench.
Japanese media outlet Daily Shinjo reported on the 31st that Ito was criminally charged with being the perpetrator of a sexual crime. It was added that after Ito made two women, including the accuser, Mr. A, in his 20s, drink alcohol, she was suspected of having sex with them without their consent. 2024.1.31 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
According to Japanese media reports, Ito is suspected of having sex with two women without their consent after drinking alcohol.
The back-and-forth administration of the Japan Football Association (JFA) further aggravated the controversy.
On the 1st, a day after the report came out, JFA announced that Ito would be withdrawn from the national team.
But that evening, this decision was reversed. As voices calling for Ito to remain in the Japanese national team grew louder, the cancellation of the call was put on hold.
However, in the end, it was decided to exclude Ito from the team the next morning. It was the day before the game against Iran.
Coach Moriyasu’s remarks at a press conference the day before the game also heightened controversy.
Statements such as “I want to cherish my (Ito’s) physical and mental health” and “I feel very sorry that (Asian soccer fans) will be able to watch without the world’s best player (Ito)” were on the chopping block.
Japan loses 1-2 to Iran
(Al-Raiyan = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = Hajime Moriyasu of Japan lost 1-2 in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup quarterfinal match between Iran and Japan held at Al-Raiyan Education City Stadium in Qatar on the 3rd (local time). The coach is comforting the players. 2024.2.3 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
From the perspective of the woman who complained of harm, it was a remark that could not help but be felt as a ‘secondary offense’.
Director Moriyasu also said, “Don’t push too hard,” which drew criticism from reporters.
Moriyasu, who was shaken from the inside, eventually packed up early in the quarterfinals.
Coach Moriyasu said at a press conference after the game, “I feel sorry for the national team officials. I also feel responsible,” and added, “The players did their best. Iran deserved to advance (to the semifinals).”
He continued, “The Asian Cup is over. Now, we will show our competitiveness in the North and Central America World Cup qualifiers.”
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2024-02-04 00:45:38
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