Japan lost when Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), the most valuable player in Asia, had his worst performance.

The Japanese national soccer team, ranked 17th in the FIFA rankings, was ranked 63rd in the FIFA rankings in the second match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held at Al Rayyan Education City Stadium in Qatar at 8:30 pm on the 19th (Korean time). Lost to Iraq 1-2.

As a result, Japan was in second place in the group with 1 win, 1 loss, and 3 points. Iraq took first place with 2 wins and 6 points. Japan must defeat Indonesia, led by coach Shin Tae-yong, in the third and final game.

Iraq’s Aymen scored a header from Ali Jassim’s cross in the 5th minute of the first half, heating up the stadium with more than 30,000 Iraqi spectators early on, and also scored a header in extra time in the first half, becoming the best hero of the day. Japan’s captain Wataru Endo scored a consolation goal in extra time in the second half, but it ended there. 카지노사이트 백링크

Japan was selected as the most likely winner of this tournament. Several media outlets, including ‘Euro Sports’, ‘Opta’, and ‘ESPN’, ranked Japan as the first candidate for the championship and Korea as the second. As many as 20 of the 26 players finally selected were from Europe, the prevailing opinion was that the overall balance was solid.

Japan defeated Vietnam 4-2 in the first game. Although they were tied 1-2 in the first half by only allowing two goals from set pieces, Takumi Minamino’s two goals and one assist, Keito Nakamura’s comeback goal, and Ayase Ueda’s key goal earned them three points.

There were some uneasy appearances, but coach Hajime Moriyasu wasn’t worried. He said at the official press conference ahead of the Iraq game: “I’m not worried. You can learn from your mistakes. It’s important to prepare as usual. I think we can do better than the last game. Of course, not everything was perfect. But the same. “Even if I play with my team again tomorrow, I will do better,” he expressed confidence.

Also, Soccer Digest said ahead of the game against Iraq, “Korea and Japan will have to fight at some point. Korean media predicted the impact on the tournament by mentioning the possibility of a Korea-Japan match in the round of 16. The Japanese national team’s first match was not very refreshing. “Korean media pointed out that Japan’s defense was unstable compared to its brilliant offense,” the report said.

He continued, “I don’t think of the Iraq war as simple. But in the end, it is a game that Japan has no choice but to win. He expressed his displeasure, saying, “Japan’s 11-game winning streak will not be broken by Iraq.”

The reason Soccer Digest expressed dissatisfaction was because of the outlook of the Korean media. But the dissatisfaction became reality.

In the case of competitions hosted by the AFC, Iraq’s first place in Group D was confirmed because the winning points of each team are considered when determining the ranking of multiple teams with the same points in the group stage. The final two games of Group D, which will be held on the 24th, are scheduled to be Iraq-Vietnam and Japan-Indonesia. Even if Iraq loses to Vietnam and remains at 6 points, it will be ahead of Japan and Indonesia. This is because even if a team wins the Japan-Indonesia match and ties Iraq with 6 points, they will be pushed out of the winner-win principle.

In particular, Takefusa Kubo, who was known to be injured, looked the worst. Kubo’s performance in the game was completely different from his reputation as Spain’s best winger.

In the end, Kubo was replaced in the 16th minute of the second half. Playing for 61 minutes, Kubo had a pass success rate of 65% (17 attempts), 3 successful dribbles (8 attempts), 2 successful crosses (9 attempts), 7 successful duels (15 attempts), and 21 turnovers. It was sluggish.

Although he was said to have recovered from his injury, he did not live up to expectations.

The Football Channel commented, “Kubo struggled under his opponent’s tight pressure and was unable to threaten his goal.”

Kubo is the most expensive player among Asian players. His current worth is estimated at 60 million euros (87.2 billion won). Same as Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). Son Heung-min (Tottenham) is also worth a high price.

To make matters worse, he asked Lee Kang-in (PSG) to meet him in the finals. Ahead of the tournament, Kubo also provoked, saying, “I asked to meet Lee Kang-in in the Asian Cup final. If Japan wins the Asian Cup, a draw in the first leg with PSG in the UEFA Champions League is okay.”