‘Japan rings Iraq!

The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar has seen its first upset. The upset came from the ‘powerhouse of the Middle East’, Iraq. They defeated Japan, one of the favorites to win the tournament. They used their solid defense and possession advantage to defeat Japan.

Iraq defeated Japan 2-1 in the second match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on June 19 (ET). The victory was their second straight, following a 3-1 win over Indonesia in the first match of the group stage. 카지노사이트 They emerged as the ‘dark horse’ of the tournament by upsetting Japan, the top-ranked team in Asia.

They capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes to open the scoring. In the fourth minute of the first half, Aymen Hussain shook down the flank and sent in a sharp cross that Japan’s goalkeeper Shion Suzuki missed punching and Aymen Hussain headed home. From then on, a sophisticated two-line defense kept Japan at bay. We held the defensive flat well and pressed appropriately in the midfield to prevent dangerous situations from arising. They kept Japan’s offense ineffective throughout the first half, not allowing a single shot on goal.

In first-half stoppage time, they added another goal with a surprise attack. Left-back Ahmed Yahya capitalized on a seemingly out-of-touch ball in the midfield and burst down the left flank. He rose deep and sent a sharp cross into the center of the box, where Hussain finished with a spiked header. A counter-attack that caught Japan off guard and gave them a two-goal lead. Once again, they exploited Japan’s weakness in the air.

Iraq basically thickened their defense in the second half, while also launching the occasional counterattack. They played with a lot of numbers in defense, but they didn’t take their foot off the gas on offense by bringing on Mohanad Ali. Despite conceding a late goal to Wataru Endo from a corner in stoppage time, they held on to the lead and secured a 2-1 victory.

Iraq, which lost 0-1 to South Korea in an exhibition match on June 6, was outplayed in every statistical category against Japan. They were out-shot (8-15), out-possessed (27-73), out-passed (232-599), out-competed (58-80), and out-cornered (1-13). However, they did have a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal. They capitalized on their chances, forcing Japan’s offense into inaccuracies and setting the stage for the win. With the victory, Korea improved to 6 points and crossed the threshold to the Round of 16 in Group 9. They will play their third group game against Vietnam on Thursday.

Before the tournament, about six teams were considered favorites. South Korea, Japan, Iran, Australia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia were the “Big Six” favorites. They all won their first round matches. Qatar and Australia booked their early round of 16 berths with two straight wins. Japan, looking for their fifth title, were the first to fall victim to upsets. Iraq emerged as the upset victor, playing with frightening coolness and composure.