The 2019 AFC Asian Cup soccer tournament in the United Arab Emirates is now in the knockout stage, and among the top 16 knockout pairings is the most anticipated matchup between Group F No. 1 Japan and Group E No. 2 Saudi Arabia (hereafter referred to as Saudi Arabia). In the history of the Asian Cup, Japan has won the title four times, while Saudi Arabia has won the title three times as well, and both teams even made it to last year's tournament in Russia.
Roth (name)
World Cup. The two sides will meet in the last 16 of the Asian Cup, and this head-to-head matchup is definitely exciting.
Head-to-head record (last six games):
September 3, 2006 Asian Cup Qualification Japan 0:1 Saudi Arabia
November 15, 2006 Asian Cup Qualification Japan 3:1 Saudi Arabia
July 25, 2007 Asian Cup Semi-Final Japan 2:3 Saudi Arabia
January 17, 2011 AFC Asian Cup Group Stage Japan 5:0 Saudi Arabia
November 15, 2016 World Cup Qualification (Asia) Japan 2:1 Saudi Arabia
September 5, 2017 World Cup Qualification (Asia) Japan 0:1 Saudi Arabia
Starting lineups for both teams:
Japan starting lineup
For Japan, they have set up a 4-2-3-1 formation for this match, and the starting lineup is not much different from the first two matches of the group stage, except that star striker Isao Osako is on the bench due to an injury, and Kaori Muto, who scored a header against Uzbekistan last time and carries the number 13, will start the match.
Saudi Arabia Starting XI
For Saudi Arabia, the match was played in the usual 4-1-4-1, with the same starting lineup as against North Korea, with leading attacker Fahad Al Muwallad, who scored a total of three goals in the group stage, as the single arrow.
Course of the match:
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The game was dominated by Sandy, and Japan responded with a high press, waiting for their opponents to make a mistake and then launching a counterattack.
Nearly a minute into the match, a long pass from Shadi found Mohammed Al-Fatil in the box, but the latter was unable to capitalize on it. In the seventh minute, a free kick from the Japanese backfield was taken by Takumi Minamino on the left flank and sent in a cross that was blocked by Yasutoshi Don on the edge of the box. Sandy continued to dominate the attack and created good chances in the 12th and 14th minutes, but failed to put a shot on target.
Japan broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Yue Shibasaki took a corner kick and managed to find youngster Kenyo Tomiyasu with a header to give the Blue Samurai the lead thanks to a successful corner kick play.
After losing the ball, Saudi Arabia continued to strengthen their attack, but they could not break through the tight defense of Japan. In the 34th minute, Fahad Al Muwallad, No.19 of the back number, carried the ball into the penalty area from the right side of the field, but he was caught by the Japanese team and the ball was taken by Hatan Bahbri. After cooperating with his teammates, Bahbri took a beautiful curved shot, but the ball went wide to the left side of the field. The first half ended with Japan leading 1-0.
The two sides resumed the match with 70% of the possession in the first half, but Japan created a lot of chances through quick counter-attacks. In the 47th minute, Salem Al Dawsari's shot from the top of the penalty area was not from a good enough angle for Japan's goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda to hold on to. Then Japan had a free kick in front of the goal. Takeshi Shibasaki managed to find captain Maya Yoshida, but the latter's shot was confiscated by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais. In the 60th minute, Japan had a successful counter-attack. Yoshinori Muto got past a man on the left side of the penalty area, but the ball was blocked by a Shahidi defender.
Fahad Al Muwallad broke through the Japanese defense on the right flank and sent a precise pass to Salem Al Dawsari, but the latter wasted a golden opportunity by shooting the ball into the stands when he was unmarked. In the 65th minute, Hatan Bahbri took a shot from long range, but the ball went slightly to the right. In the 71st and 73rd minutes, Saudi Arabia had two excellent chances to score with a header, but Ali Hadi Albulayhi and Hussain Almoqahwi were unable to put their shots on target, and before the end of the match, Saudi Arabia also failed to make any progress in their onslaught of attacks, so Japan beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to advance to the last eight.
Stats for both teams:
(Source: transfermarkt.com)
Brief comment:
Looking back at the whole game, with 76% of the possession, Sandy could not attack for a long time. On the contrary, Japan scored a header in the early part of the game and led all the way to the end of the game, and their tenacious defense made Sandy suffer a lot. From the performance of Sandy in the group stage, they are considered to be a team that is very good at long-distance shooting, but in this game, the Japanese team came prepared, repeatedly targeting Fahad Al Muwallad and other players to wrap up, so Sandy's ability to attack is greatly limited, only one shot on target in the whole game. Fahad's individual skills were not enough for the Japanese team, but the chances he created for his teammates could not be converted into scores.
The biggest key to victory in this match was Japan's mastery of the weaknesses of Saudi Arabia's set-piece defense. In the group stage, the weakness of Saudi Arabia's set-piece defense was already exposed, as the defense players' poor reading of the ball point led to frequent danger in front of the goal. In the second goal conceded against Qatar, Qatar striker Almoez Ali even just stopped in place to head the goal easily. In this match, Sandy was even more unable to cope with Japan's skillful running from set-pieces. Every free kick and corner kick from Japan posed a great threat to Sandy, and in the end, Kenyo Tomiyasu's header made them pay for it.
