Doha, Qatar: Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu is confident that his Samurai Blues will be able to live up to expectations in their match against the powerful Bahrain team in the Asia Cup last 16 at Al Thumama Stadium today.
Japan came to Qatar as heavy favorites aiming for a record-extending fifth championship, but they were unable to live up to expectations, suffering a shocking defeat to Iraq and finishing runners-up in Group D. In the games against Vietnam and Indonesia, they conceded goals as the lower-ranked teams worked hard to win.
Hajime Moriyasu Japan National Team Manager
The team opened the Asian Cup on the back of a strong run of nine consecutive wins, including a victory over Germany, but in addition to defensive deficiencies, their performances to date have lacked their usual fluency, and they have received much criticism at home. was bathed in
But Moriyasu believes the criticism was a “show of respect” as he remained optimistic that his side would put on a better show.
Japanese national team players in training.
“When people say we’re struggling, it’s a sign of respect for us, because it shows that we have high expectations for us. People know what they can do,” the coach, who led Japan to victories over Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup, said yesterday.
“But teams in Asia are growing, and we’re not the only ones. Asian countries are all growing and becoming more competitive, and the gap between the top teams and the bottom teams is narrowing.”
Bahrain’s players are training for the round of 16 matches.
The 55-year-old said his team’s defense was not under pressure heading into the finals after conceding five goals in the first phase.
“We have to learn from our mistakes in the first three games, but that doesn’t mean we’re worried about our defense for tomorrow’s game,” he said.
Bahrain, coached by Juan Antonio Pizzi, emerged as surprise winners in Group E, defeating Jordan and Malaysia ahead of South Korea after losing to Taegeuk Warriors in their opening match. Bahrain has fond memories from Qatar, where they defeated Saudi Arabia in the 2019 final and won their first Gulf Cup title.
Coach Moriyasu described Bahrain as a tough opponent, but was confident his players would excel at the challenge.
“Bahrain are a strong team, so we have to be careful about their attacking play, but I am confident that my players will perform to 100 percent of their potential. Bahrain are very talented. This is a team with
Juan Antonio Pizzi, Bahrain coach
“They have individual talent, but they can also work as a team, as a unit. They are strong as a team and can counter-attack, but also have talented players up front who can play good football.”
The Samurai Blue have won five of their last seven matches against Bahrain and Pizzi hopes the team’s experience from recent games against South Korea and Australia will help them in the competition against their higher-class rivals.
“Japan is a tough team with many strengths, but we have to exploit our weaknesses to get to the top. I hope we can implement our philosophy,” he said.・The coach of Bahrain, who conquered the United States, said:
“We learned some lessons from the game against South Korea and before the tournament we also played against Australia (losing 2-0).
“When you play against a big national team, the team becomes stronger both collectively and individually. Unfortunately, the results of these two games did not meet our expectations, but the level was still high, so I was relieved. I felt secure that I could fight with anyone.”
The winner of the match, which begins at 2:30 p.m., will face either Iran or Syria in the quarterfinals.
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Bahrain will face the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Round of 16 today with the mission of ending Japan’s dream of a fifth title. Bahrain advanced to the final tournament as Group E winners, but Japan suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat to Iraq and finished as Group D runners-up.
Japan is right in front of me
Japan have won five of the past seven meetings with Bahrain, including a 2-0 victory in their most recent encounter (March 2010), and won the AFC Asian Cup. In their only previous game, the semi-finals, they won 4-3 in overtime. 2004 edition finals.
extra time expert
Three of Bahrain’s last four matches in the AFC Asian Cup finals have gone to extra time, with the West Asian side losing two of them and defeating Uzbekistan 4-3 on penalties in the other. I won.
knockout stage specialist
This is the ninth time that Japan has made it past the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup. Of the past eight attempts, only two have they lost in the first leg in the knockout stages of the tournament (0-2 against Kuwait in 1996 and 1-1 against UAE (5-4 on penalties) in 2015). .
aviation ability
Bahrain’s Abdullah Yusuf Helal (15 years old) and Abdullah Al Hasash (13 years old) won more aerial duels in the group stage than any other player in Group E of the tournament. Ta.