Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Japan qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup after beating Bahrain 3-1 in the round of 16 at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar, Wednesday (31/1) evening WIB.
This result made Japan qualify for the quarter-finals to face the winner of the Iran vs Syria match. The final match of the round of 16 will take place at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Wednesday at 23.00 WIB.
The Bahrain vs Japan match was interesting in the first half. The Samurai Blue troops are more dominant when it comes to creating opportunities but Bahrain can also occasionally spread threats.
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Japan had a chance to score through Wataru Endo in the 22nd minute. However, the Liverpool player’s header was still narrowly on the right side of the goal.
Four minutes later it was Keito Nakamura’s turn to spread threats. But his shot was blocked by a Bahrain defender.
Bahrain, which was often pressured, turned into a threat in the 29th minute. Ali Madan fired a shot from outside the penalty box which was blocked by Zion Suzuki.
In the 31st minute Japan was able to open a 1-0 lead. Seiya Maikuma’s hard shot hit the crossbar and the ball that was moving wildly in the penalty box was quickly grabbed by Ritsu Doan to rattle the Bahrain goal.
Towards the end of the first half, Bahrain striker Abdulla Yusuf Helal had the opportunity to put his name on the scoreboard. However, his right foot shot was still sideways from the goal.
Japan only needed four minutes to increase the score to 2-0. This time, the Bahrain defender’s mistake when blocking the ball allowed Takefusa Kubo to easily break into the opposing team’s goal with a shot from close range.
Bahrain’s hope of turning things around appeared in the 64th minute. Miscommunication between Ayase Ueda and Suzuki resulted in Japan breaking the goal.
Bahrain’s goal came from Suzuki’s incomplete edge of the ball when blocking a Bahrain player’s header. Suzuki pushed the ball towards the goal and tried to secure it, but the ball that was reached hit Ueda’s head and resulted in an own goal.
The 1-2 score only lasted eight minutes. Ueda paid for his mistake by finding the net against Bahrain after a charming individual action and his goal changed the score to 3-1.
Japan is still the dominant team after winning by a two-goal margin. The entry of Takumi Minamino also made Hajime Moriyasu’s attacks even more dangerous.
However, Japan was unable to take advantage of several opportunities it had to increase its lead over Bahrain. The match ended with a score of 3-1.
Lineup
Bahrain (4-3-2-1): Ebrahim Lutfalla; Mohamed Adel, Sayed Baqer Mahdy, Waleed Al Hayam; Hazza Ali; Jasim Al Shaikh, Ahmed Hassan, Kamil Al Aswad; Ali Madan, Mohamed Marhoon; Abdulla Yusuf
Jepang (4-3-2-1): Zion Suzuki; Seiya Maikuma, Ko Itakura, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Yuta Nakayama; Takefusa Kubo, Wataru Endo, Reo Hatate; Ritsu Doan, Keito Nakamura; Ayase Ueda
(jal/sry)