2024-01-20 02:25:01
China News Service, Beijing, January 20th. Title: Asian Cup: Japan suffered an upset loss to Iraq and Vietnam lost two consecutive games and were eliminated early.
China News Service reporter
After an uneventful first round of the group stage, there was a big upset in the second round of the Asian Cup group stage. On the 19th local time, in a match in Group D of the Asian Cup, the Iraqi team defeated the Japanese team, the favorite and currently ranked No. 1 in Asia, with an upset 2:1, locking in the knockout qualification in advance. The Vietnamese team lost to the Indonesian team 0:1 and suffered two consecutive losses and was eliminated early; the Hong Kong team of China lost to the Iranian team 0:1 and still retained hope of promotion.
Japan 1:2 Iraq
Compared with the Japanese team, whose entire team is worth more than 300 million euros, the Iraqi team, whose entire team is worth slightly over 10 million euros, can be described as a “civilian team.” However, in the case where the overall strength and average personal ability of the players were not dominant, the Iraqi team relied on tactics to defeat its opponents who were ranked much higher than themselves in the world.
In the 5th minute of the game, the Iraqi player broke through from the wing and made a pass. Japanese goalkeeper Aya Suzuki made a mistake in the clearance, and Iraqi player Hussein scored with a header. In the 4th minute of stoppage time in the first half, the Iraqi team stole the ball in the midfield and quickly launched a counterattack. Hussein scored twice with a header. In the subsequent game, the Japanese team pressed heavily and laid siege to the Iraqi team’s goal. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time in the second half, the Japanese team seized the opportunity of a corner kick and scored with a header from Endo Hiroshi.
The “Blue Samurai” Japanese team unexpectedly lost, handing over the initiative to qualify first in the group to the Iraqi team. If the Japanese team advances as second in the group, they may encounter a strong enemy, the South Korean team, in the first round of the knockout round.
Vietnam 0:1 Indonesia
Although they had a wonderful goal battle with the Japanese team in the first round of the group stage, the Vietnamese team failed to convert their smooth cooperation into goals against their old rival Indonesia. In the “Southeast Asian Derby” in the second round of the group stage, the Vietnamese team lost 0:1.
In the 42nd minute, the Vietnamese team sent a penalty in the penalty area. Indonesian team player Bahar took the penalty and scored the only goal of the game. In the second half, the two sides increased the intensity of their physical confrontation. Vietnam’s midfielder Le Pham Thanh Long was sent off with a red card for uprooting his opponent. As the Vietnamese team missed the perfect opportunity in stoppage time in the second half, they finally lost two consecutive games 0:1.
The Vietnamese team, which lost both games in the group stage, will face the Iraqi team in the final round. The final game cannot change the fate of early elimination.
Hong Kong, China 0:1 Iran
In the second round of the group stage, the Hong Kong team faced the Iranian team, the strongest “Persian cavalry” in the same group, which had won the Asian Cup three times. In the first round, the Hong Kong team of China scored two penalty kicks and unfortunately lost to the UAE team. The Iranian team defeated the Palestinian team 4:1 in the first round, and the team’s morale and state were at a high level.
In the 22nd minute, Iranian player Gaedi scored with a low shot from the far corner of the penalty area, opening the scoring for the Iranian team. In the 40th minute, the Iranian team’s defender made a mistake in clearing the ball and almost led to an own goal. In the 86th minute, the Iranian team made a pass in the penalty area but the ball changed direction midway. Ansarifard failed to touch the football and missed the opportunity to expand the score.
Although the Hong Kong team of China also lost two rounds, they still retained their hope of advancing. If they defeat the Palestinian team in the next round, the Hong Kong team of China still has a chance to advance to the knockout rounds as the third-placed team in the group with better results. (over)
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