Japan 2-1 Spain
Comeback kings Japan have officially booked their World Cup 2022 Round of 16 tickets alongside Spain with a 2-1 victory at the Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday.
Here at SBOTOP, we asked whether the Samurai Blue could pull off one more win against another European powerhouse, and they did it via the finest of margins.
Similar to their opening match, Japan showed their moxie when they were backed against the wall. Alvaro Morata tallied the first for Spain, but Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka’s provided the quick-fire goals to escape the jaws of defeat.
As a result, the Samurai Blue earned the top spot in Group E. Despite being level at four points each, Spain have taken the second spot since they have the superior goal difference over Germany – who bowed out of the competition despite winning 4-2 versus Costa Rica.
Read on below as we recap one of the most thrilling games so far in this tournament.
Highlights of the game
Hajime Moriyasu was criticised for his team selections in their 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, so he brought back Daizen Maeda and Junya Ito back into the starting lineup.
As for Spain, Luis Enrique finally inserted Alvaro Morata into the starting lineup alongside Dani Olmo and Nico Williams up front.
La Roja took control early on and they went ahead after 11 minutes when Alvaro Morata headed the ball in following Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.
Morata had a few more opportunities – one from a cut-back by Nico Williams and another via Dani Olmo’s cross. Even if he didn’t convert on those, Spain were poised to secure their second win of the tournament.
But just like in the Germany game, Japan came out of the second half looking like a different squad. Hajime Moriyasu turned to his bench once more as he brought in Ritsu Doan and Kaoru Mitoma – the two central figures of their comeback.
Japan’s equaliser came after a lackadaisical pass from Unai Simon that caused Spain to lose possession near their goal. Ritsu Doan claimed the loose ball and rifled in a left-footed, long range effort that was too hot for Simon to handle.
And then what followed was probably the most stunning event of the tournament as Ritsu Doan rolled the ball over to Kaoru Mitoma – who managed to cross the ball that was sailing at the byline – for Ao Tanaka to convert from close range.
The on-field referees initially ruled the goal out, but it was eventually counted as the VAR deemed that the ball had not fully crossed the line.
Spain were shell-shocked. Because after that Japan goal, they learned that Costa Rica took a surprise lead over Germany, so they were desperate for the equaliser.
Luis Enrique’s side had two chances late on as Marco Asensio launched from outside the box while Dani Olmo was teed up by Ferran Torres. However, Japan were not to be denied their destiny, thanks to goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.
Key statistics
Japan are through to the knockouts in consecutive World Cups for the first time, while they’ve finished on top of their group for the first time since 2002.
They are also the third team in World Cup history to be losing at half time and come back to win twice in a single tournament. Brazil and Germany were the only teams who had done this in 1938 and 1970.
Japan only had 18-per cent possession against Spain, which is the lowest share of the ball for a winning team in a World Cup game since it was first tracked in 1966. Three of their last four goals have been scored by their subs.
The resurgent Alvaro Morata remains solid for Spain as he scored his ninth goal in just 13 appearances at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros). Only David Villa has scored more such goals (13 in 16 caps) for La Roja.
What’s next?
The group stage proceedings are now done and dusted for Groups E and F.
Following last night’s World Cup 2022 results, Japan and Spain finished on top of Group E, while Morocco and Croatia stood tall in Group F. This means that Japan will face Croatia, while Spain take on Morocco in the Round of 16.
We’re still waiting for the remaining matches in Groups G and H to finish.
With Brazil and Portugal guaranteed to advance, it’s going to be fascinating which teams will the World Cup 2022 odds back between Switzerland, Cameroon, Serbia, Ghana, South Korea, or Uruguay to claim the two remaining knockout spots.
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