In the match against Qatar, Japan made it to the round of 8 and needed to go to overtime to win, eventually defeating the 10-man hosts 4.:2.
The Blue Warriors showed a strong fight in this battle, turning defeat into victory. In addition, the star scorer of the lineup, Hosoya really got in a very important third goal for his team. In the end, they kicked off the year and ended up advancing to the top four.
Japan had one more day of rest than Iraq before the match and it is important for today's battle against a physical team. They need to be careful of Iraq's counterattacks while avoiding conceding the first goal. I think the offense is really big and now they will be full of confidence.
Iraq scored a 12-yard field goal during the middle period of the second half that resulted in a 12-yard victory for them in Ali Shearson. :0 win over Vietnam to advance to the Final 4.
Iraq created a lot of chances to score in this battle and were rarely threatened at the back, so they were pretty consistent throughout the game.
Mohamed will be suspended, which will definitely affect the team's midfield creativity. Ali El is very good at twisting and turning and has the ability to cause problems for the opposing team's defense, so the Japanese defenders will have to be careful to watch out for him.
I think the extra day of preparation will give Japan a huge advantage. I expect the Blue Warriors to win within 90 minutes of the legal time and qualify for the Paris Men's Olympic soccer team after reaching the final.
