FIFA FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - NEWS BLOG - UPDATE 14

 A THRILLING MATCH BETWEEN JAPAN AND SPAIN IN WORLD CUP QATAR 2022

Spain loses to key starters in a painful comeback to pass second place on thin ice World Cup

The final match of the first round of the soccer World Cup (World Cup) was held in Doha on the 12th day (2nd Japan hours), and the Japan in Group E beat Spain 2-1 to reach the last 16 with six points. In the first round of the final tournament on 5 June (6 Japan hours), they will face Croatia, the second place in Group F and the previous runner-up.

Japan Spain took the lead with Morata's goal in the 11th minute of the first half, but Ritsu Doan (Freiburg) scored in the 3rd minute of the second half and TANAKA Ao (Dusseldorf) scored in the 6th minute.

Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2. They are level with Spain on four points, but Spain are in second place on goal difference, while Germany are in third place. Costa Rica is in last place. Spain will face Morocco, the first place team in Group F, in the first round of the final tournament on 6 June (early morning of Japan time).

Ao Tanaka in the final: Single-minded ambition and strength of defeat World Cup

The Japan of Group E of the first round of the World Cup Qatar defeated Spain 2-1 in their final match of the first round on 1 (early morning of Japan hours). Japan finished top of the table with six points with two wins and one loss, and qualified for the playoffs for the second consecutive time.

The efforts he has made to make up for his deficiencies have come to fruition on the big stage. On the 1st (2nd Japan hours), Japan defeated Spain 2-1 in Group E of the first round of the World Cup Qatar to finish first and advance to the final tournament for the second consecutive time. What supported TANAKA Ao (24) = Düsseldorf = who pushed the final goal was his single-minded ambition and strength to lose.

In the second half, Ritsu Doan (24) = Freiburg = equalized three minutes after a strong mid-range shot. Doan's right cross ball almost broke the goal line, but MITOMA Kaoru (25) = Brighton = stretched his left foot and slid in. The ball was folded back in front of the goal with a piece of paper, and Tanaka, who had been packing it with confidence, threw his body out and pushed it into his right thigh.

The moment he thrust his finger up to the heavens and expressed his joy, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) judged that the ball may have broken the line. About three minutes later, when the goal was conceded, he exploded again with joy and was crushed by his teammates and received a rough blessing.

Tanaka, who played a key role in the victory, looked back calmly when he appeared in the press area.

"I thought there was a one-chan (on the ball) and it was good that I kept believing that it was going to go in. I think God rewarded me for what I did a little bit."

The final goal overlapped with my football career.

He grew up in the lower division of J1 Kawasaki Frontale. Akira Konno, 48, who coached him in high school, said, "He didn't have anything outstanding, he was a genius at hard work." He was promoted to the first team in 2017 but barely played until his second year. If I feel frustrated not being able to play, I hide and devote myself to training. He blossomed in his third year and won the J.League's Best Young Player Award.

In search of his dream opportunity to play in Europe, he crossed the ocean in the summer of '21, but he played in Germany's second division. Seven players in the Japan squad, including Doan, belong to the German first division, and he said, "I don't think I'm in the same position as them."

In the national team, which was a "reserve group", he has shown his presence by taking advantage of the few chances he has. The symbol of this was when the Japan to qualify for the World Cup was standing on the edge of a cliff. He made his first start in the final Asian qualifier against Australia in October '21, where he won 1-2 and saved the team by scoring the opening goal.

Supporting the effort is a single-minded desire to improve and a strong willingness to lose.

In this tournament, the opportunity to play has come due to the injury of the same midfielder. "I can't help but think so, and I wanted to get a tangible result." Furthermore, after losing the second match against Costa Rica, some of the players were slandered one after another on the Internet exchange service (SNS), and the frustration of "why don't they fight together even though we are the same people?" became energized.

They will advance through the first round of the league with a strong team and face Croatia on the 5th for the team's goal of reaching the last eight. "I know what I have to do, and that's what I want to see." Calmly, burning.

A HISTORIC MOMENT WHEN JAPAN DEFEATED SPAIN IN WORLD CUP QATAR 2022

Japan becomes the top Asian team with seven World Cup wins

The Japan National Football Team defeated Spain in the final match of Group E of the first round of the World Cup Qatar on 1 June (2 days Japan hours) to advance to the final tournament for the second consecutive time and 4 times. With this victory, Japan became the top Asian team in the World Cup, surpassing South Korea's six wins (as of March 2).

Japan made his first appearance in the 1998 World Cup in France, and his record so far is 7 wins, 5 draws and 12 losses in 24 matches (penalty shootouts are treated as draws). Korea made its first appearance in Switzerland in '54. As of the end of the two matches in Group H of the first round of this tournament, they have won 6, drawn 10 and lost 20 in 36 matches.

This is the first time for an Asian team to reach the final tournament for two consecutive tournaments. If Japan beat Croatia in their next match to reach the last eight, they will become the first Asian team to reach the last four of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.

Will defending runners-up Croatia be 'honest for the third time' in the final T1 round

In Group E of the first round of the World Cup Qatar on Sunday (Japan hours and 2 days), Japan defeated Spain 2-1 to advance through the first round in first place.

Japan will face Croatia, the second-place finisher in Group F and the defending runner-up, in the first round of the final tournament on 5 May (6 Japan hours). With a population of about 4 million, Eastern European giants have produced world-class soccer players, and Japan have never met at the World Cup before, drawing one and losing one. Will it be "honest for the third time"?

Their first meeting was in France 1998, when they both made their first appearance. The two teams met in the second leg of the first round, with Croatia winning 1-0 with the winner from ace forward Šuker. With talented players such as midfielder Boban, Shekel was also the top scorer, and suddenly jumped to third place, surprising the world.

In the second match of the first round of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the two teams drew without scoring. It will be the third time in Qatar that they will face each other in the playoffs.

Led by the 37-year-old Modric, who won the MVP award at the last World Cup in Russia, Croatia beat Canada 4-1 in the first round to draw with Morocco and Belgium, who finished third last time. Although they have not been able to fully demonstrate their attacking power, they are still a strong opponent for Japan who are aiming to advance to the top eight for the first time.

Kaoru Mitoma said of Croatia, "We have players who are of high individual quality and are world-famous, so I think we will have to endure it, but we want to win again." We aim for three shocks following Germany and Spain.