Uneven Japan concludes qualifying campaign with draw against Vietnam

Saitama – A recreation with few penalties left lots in the best way of questions as Japan overcame a first-half scare to attract 1-1 with Vietnam of their closing World Cup qualifier, lower than eight months earlier than the match is scheduled to kick off in Qatar.

With qualification having already been secured in Thursday’s away win over Australia, head coach Hajime Moriyasu went to the reserves for his beginning lineup, giving Sydney hero Kaoru Mitoma his first begin and Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate his first senior look.

However Japan’s XI didn’t gel on the pitch and fell sufferer to a well-organized and extremely motivated Vietnam aspect that pressured the house staff’s purpose for a lot of the primary half, taking the lead within the nineteenth minute when Nguyen Thanh Binh headed a nook kick previous veteran Samurai Blue goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.

“I believe the gamers had been making an attempt to do their finest and present their talents,” Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu stated. “They had been very proactive. “Nevertheless, they might not have had a great psychological picture of what it could be wish to play collectively.

“The gamers did their finest, however we now have to operate as a staff and that was somewhat troublesome for this beginning lineup.”

Moriyasu went again to a number of of his battle-hardened gamers after the interval, relieving Hatate for Junya Ito earlier than the beginning of the second half. Japan captain Maya Yoshida scored the equalizer almost 10 minutes in after Vietnam netminder Que Ngoc Hai didn’t comprise Genki Haraguchi’s first effort, leaving the Sampdoria defender to pounce on the rebound.

As momentum shifted to its favor, Japan set out for a game-winner with Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita and Ao Tanaka all approaching shortly after the hour mark.

Tanaka appeared to have scored the go-ahead purpose from outdoors the six-yard field within the seventieth minute, just for VAR to name the play again after Minamino was judged to have dedicated a handball within the build-up.

The Japan Soccer Affiliation introduced an attendance of 44,600, the most important house crowd the Samurai Blue have performed in entrance of for the reason that begin of the coronavirus pandemic.

Amongst these watching had been a number of thousand Vietnamese followers who cheered all through the sport — and had been repeatedly cautioned by the in-stadium announcer for violating guidelines meant to forestall the transmission of coronavirus-carrying particles amongst attendees.

The end result ended Japan’s profitable streak at six video games and ensured the staff of being positioned in Pot 3 of the draw for the primary match in Qatar, a place that might lead to a gaggle with as many as two earlier World Cup champions.

“Each nation taking part within the World Cup is robust,” Moriyasu stated. “We need to put together to beat any of the robust groups we might face to be able to obtain our purpose of progressing to the quarterfinals and past.”

The 2022 World Cup draw will probably be held in Doha on April 1.