Asian Cup: Japan and South Korea’s stumble confuses the “group struggle” scene
Japan’s sudden defeat against Iraq 1-2, and South Korea’s snatching of a grueling 2-2 draw with Jordan in the last breath, made it more difficult than ever to predict the identity of the team that would lift the Asian Cup as the group stage approached the end.
Japan was the strong favorite to win a fifth title and enhance its record, while South Korea, led by Heung-Min Son, was considered its main competitor.
But after the early results in the group stage in Qatar went as generally expected, the first surprise occurred in the second round when Iraq beat Japan 2-1, after the latter had looked unconvincing in the opening match, coming from behind to defeat Vietnam 4-2. .
After 24 hours, the second surprise occurred.
Tottenham and South Korea captain Son put his country ahead with a penalty kick after 9 minutes against Jordan, but the East Asian team seemed to be satisfied with its lead.
The Jordanian team struck hard when they first equalized through friendly fire, before taking a 2-1 lead at the end of the first half.
Japanese players disappointed after losing 1-2 to Iraq (Reuters)
Korea was on its way to losing, but it succeeded in equalizing in the first minute of stoppage time to get out of big trouble.
Japan and South Korea are still in a strong position to reach the qualifying rounds, as each team only needs to draw with Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively, to qualify for the final round. But their stumble made it possible for them to play face-to-face in the second round, if they were unable to come out on top in their groups.
The two teams did not appear as champions and will have to wait for the third round to join Australia, Iran, Iraq, and defending champion Qatar in the final 16.
It is not possible to criticize German coach Jurgen Klinsmann or his South Korean team by belittling the competitor, especially as he seeks to end a 64-year drought in which he did not win the continental title.
Klinsmann thought that the coronation would not be easy, saying before the tournament: “Every match will be difficult.” “Asian football has improved a lot, and the quality over the last 10 or 15 years has increased significantly.”
Qatar has become the most prominent candidate for the continental title (Reuters)
Qatar is the most convincing
Of the four teams that have already reached the knockout rounds after two wins in two matches, Qatar is arguably the most impressive, despite the fact that the local federation changed the technical staff about a month before the start of the tournament, abandoning former Real Madrid Spanish coach Carlos. Queiroz, and sought the help of the Spanish “Tentin” Marques Lopes.
It is still early, but the risk has paid off so far, as the defending champion easily defeated Lebanon 3-0 at the opening of the tournament, before securing qualification and topping the group with a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan, which is participating for the first time.
The Qatari national team has in its ranks striker Akram Afif, who is equal at the top of the scorers’ rankings with Iraqi Ayman Hussein, with 3 goals for each of them.
Al-Anabi also includes another trump card represented by the other striker Al-Moez Ali, the top scorer in the last edition in the UAE in 2019, with nine goals, to which he added one goal in the opening match.
Iran, the second highest-ranked team in the tournament after Japan, qualified for the knockout rounds in its quest to win its fourth Asian title.
It defeated Palestine 4-1, then achieved a difficult victory with a single goal over Hong Kong, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament.
The Australian team, led by Graham Arnold, was not impressive, as it achieved two lackluster victories over India, 2-0, and over Syria, with an unanswered goal, which came from the 2015 champions’ only shot on goal throughout the match.
2024-01-21 17:06:20
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