January 31 (THEWILL) – Japan’s national soccer team continued its strong run at the 2024 Asian Cup on Wednesday, defeating Bahrain 3-1 and advancing to the quarter-finals of the tournament. At the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, goals from Ritsu Doan, Takefusa Kubo and Ayyo Ueda secured a comfortable victory for the four-time Asian champions.
Coach Hajime Moriyasu must have been pleased with his team’s clinical results. Japan took the lead in the 31st minute with a goal from FC Freiburg midfielder Doan, and after Seiya Maekuma’s powerful shot hit the upright, he pounced on the rebound and scored the goal. Real Sociedad’s young forward Kubo doubled Japan’s advantage just after half-time, with a close-range shot cleared by a VAR review.
Defender Ueda carelessly sent the ball into their own net from a corner kick, and Bahrain were on the verge of a reversal. However, Ueda recovered a few minutes later, deftly beating three defenders and firing a shot from a narrow angle to make it 3-1. This result means Japan will face either Iran or Syria in the last eight.
Bahrain coach Juan Pizzi will regret missing out on an opportunity to heal old wounds. Saudi Arabia, led by Pizzi, lost to Japan at the same stage in 2019. But the 2024 matchup ended up being too much for the feisty underdog. Japan’s attack quality was too high throughout the pitch.
Few would bet on Blue Samurai making it to the knockout stages. If they can maintain this momentum, winning the Asian Cup for the fifth time will surely be within their reach.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching and distributing sports news stories for both print and digital publications.