[Japan National Soccer National Team Latest Information]In the quarterfinals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024, the U-23 Qatar National Team and the U-23 Japan National Team will face off on April 25th.
The quarterfinals of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 were held on the 25th between the U-23 Qatar National Team and the U-23 Japan National Team.
Japan, who passed Group B in 2nd place, will clash with Qatar, the host nation and 1st place in Group A, in the quarterfinals of the first round of the final tournament. This year’s Asian Cup, which also serves as the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics, will see the top three teams advance straight to the Olympics, while the fourth place will compete for one spot in an intercontinental playoff against the U-23 Guinea National Team. Therefore, if they won in the quarterfinals, they would get closer to competing in the Olympics, but if they lost, this would be the end of this generation’s representative career.
In preparation for the watershed game against Qatar, Japan made 10 major changes to their starting lineup from the final match of Group B against the U-23 Korea National Team. Only Kouhiro Takai has been a consecutive starter, with Kuyu Matsuki, Masahiro Hosoya, and Joru Chima Fujita all also in the starting lineup.
The match was filled with tension, but Japan took advantage of their opponent’s mistakes from the start. In the 2nd minute, when the opponent’s pass at the back was half-hearted, Fuuki Yamada stole the ball on the right side of the box and fired a flash with his left foot. He takes a big lead with a powerful swing.
However, in the 24th minute, Qatar counterattacked. A quick attack allowed a cross to Abdullah Al-Yazidi on the right side, and Ahmed Al-Rawi jumped in the center. His header went over the head of goalkeeper Reo Kokubo Brian to equalize the score.
Japan was aiming for a win in the 38th minute when Matsuki held the ball on the left side of the box and used his physicality to supply a cross while carrying the opponent on his back. Hosoya jumped into the center, thinking he would have scored one point if he hit the frame, but he couldn’t catch the ball well.
However, immediately after that, Hosoya competed for a high ball near the Qatar box and collided with goalkeeper Yousef Abdullah, causing him to fall. A VAR on-field review ruled that goalkeeper Youssef Abdullah was immediately sent off, giving Japan a numerical advantage. Immediately after, Qatar was forced to bring in goalkeeper Ali Nadal to replace No. 10 Khalid Ali, who was at the center of the attack.
With a numerical advantage, Japan reached the end of the game at 1-1 and sent on Shota Fujio in place of Matsuki in the second half, but they were disappointed in the 49th minute. Kicker Mostafa Meshaal kicks a free kick from Qatar to the far left of Japan’s territory. Jassem Gabel headed the ball into the goal and it was reversed.
From this point on, Japan tried to break through by focusing on Fujio’s attacks from the right side against Qatar, who allocated their men to defense. Then, in the 67th minute, Rinhito Yamamoto kicked in with his left foot on the right CK. Seiji Kimura ran into the near field and connected with his header to score the equalizer.
After that, Japan continued to attack by taking advantage of the difference in numbers, but the next goal was still a long way off. As we approach the final stage, Yu Hirakawa and Ryotaro Araki replace Keiyoshi Sato and Yamada, and we start playing attack cards. However, the score remained at 2-2. The fate of the match, which would have cost them the right to participate in the Paris Olympics if they lost, was left to overtime.
Then, the long-awaited moment came in the 101st minute of the first half of extra time. Araki received Fujita’s vertical pass and delivered a through ball from the front center of the box. Hosoya, who separated the Qatari defender from the trap, fired a shot from the right side of the box that passed through the legs of goalkeeper Ali Nadal and sealed the victory.
In the second half of the overtime period when Japan had a lead, Sota Kawasaki and Kotaro Uchino were substituted for Yamamoto and Hosoya. Then, in the 112th minute, Kawasaki met the second ball that was cleared from the left CK and was blocked by a Qatari defender. Wataru Uchino connected with the spill and widened the lead.
The match ended 4-2. With the victory, Japan will then play a semi-final match on the 29th between the U-23 Iraq National Team and the U-23 Vietnam National Team to advance to the final and compete for the right to participate in the Paris Olympics.
■Match results
U-23 Qatar National Team 2-4 U-23 Japan National Team
■Scorer
Qatar: Ahmed Al-Rawi (24 minutes), Jassem Gabel (49 minutes)
Japan: Kaede Yamada (2 minutes), Seiji Kimura (67 minutes), Shindai Hosoya (101 minutes), Kotaro Uchino (112 minutes)
Tags: U23 Japan National Team track participate Paris OlympicsDefeat Asian Cup host Qatar desperate battle extra time Goal .com Japan
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