Japan defeated Bahrain in the last 16 matches of the Asian Cup in Doha, securing a place in the quarterfinals against Iran or Syria (Giuseppe CACACE)
Captain Wataru Endo has warned that his Asian Cup rivals Japan will “exploit” their weaknesses after they staggered to advance to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bahrain on Wednesday.
The four-time champions will face either Iran or Syria after their last-16 win in Doha, where Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma returned from injury.
Japan appeared to be on track with goals from Ritsu Doan and Takefusa Kubo on either side of half-time, but Bahrain pulled the match back with an own goal from error-prone goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
Ayase Ueda regained momentum for Japan with her fourth goal of the tournament, but Liverpool midfielder Endo warned that their quarter-final opponents may not be so forgiving.
“In the world of football, teams are trying to analyze you and find out where there are gaps that they can exploit,” he said.
“Teams have been paying attention to us in previous tournaments and it’s not easy to defend that.
“It’s important to stay focused for 90 minutes.”
Mitoma came on as a substitute midway through the second half, playing in his first game since injuring his ankle on December 21st.
However, doubts remain about the team led by coach Hajime Moriyasu. They were pre-tournament favorites but have yet to keep a clean sheet in their four games in Qatar.
Goalkeeper Suzuki made many mistakes and once again allowed Bahrain a goal.
After misjudging a punch, the 21-year-old tangled with Ueda and sent the ball over the line.
Coach Moriyasu claimed that the cause of the goal was a lack of communication.
“Everything wasn’t perfect and next time we will play Iran or Syria. They have a lot of talent up front so we will have to play better than we did today,” he said. Told.
“We have to reflect on the goal we conceded.”
~Mr. Ueda eases the tension~
Japan took the lead in the 31st minute when Seiya Maikuma hit a long-range shot that hit the post, and Doan reacted quickly to push the rebound into the goal.
Five minutes later, Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate was sent off due to injury, forcing Moriyasu’s team to replace him with Hidemasa Morita.
Kubo extended Japan’s lead to two points in the 49th minute after a VAR goal check.
The Real Sociedad forward appeared to be in an offside position when the ball was spilled inside the box, but the final ball hit a Bahraini defender.
What looked like a walk for Japan threatened to turn into a rough patch when Suzuki slotted the ball into his own net in the 64th minute.
In the 72nd minute, Ueda made a sharp move forward and slotted the ball into the goal, easing Japan’s tension.
Mitoma entered the game in the 68th minute and was involved in several late-game chances, but was unable to score.
Bahrain withdrew from the tournament after winning Group E over South Korea.
Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi admitted, “Japan was better than us both tactically and physically.”
Pizzi, who won the 2016 Copa America with Chile, said, “Japan has had the same manager for five years, and the substitutes they brought in all had the same level of quality.”
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