At the crack of dawn on December 6, the shocking news came: the teams of Japan and South Korea had lost in quick succession overnight, and the representatives of Asian soccer had all but retired from the AFC stage.
Unlike South Korea, who left the tournament in dismay after losing to Brazil, Japan drew 1-1 with Croatia after 120 minutes of intense fighting, only to lose on penalties. A total of six Asian teams competed on the World Cup stage in Qatar, but unfortunately none of them were able to break through the threshold of the top 16. Australia met Argentina in the 1/8 finals, and although there was a glimmer of hope, they still ended up losing all of their matches. South Korea were unable to do anything against Brazil, and had to return home with silent disappointment as they faced off against two former world champions.
However, Japan's loss was the most lamentable. They lost on penalties against Croatia, who were the World Cup runners-up that year. This was certainly a harsh reality for the Japanese team. Perhaps the Japanese team was overconfident and did not expect to face a penalty shootout? Many Japanese fans were unhappy about this, with some questioning, "Is the Japanese team really confident in playing penalty kicks at this high level? Why didn't they practice in advance?" They thought that Takumi Minamino missed the first penalty kick, and that the players' expressions and penalty kicks appeared too tense and uncoordinated. Perhaps, the Japanese team was never really ready to face the penalty shootout. Japan's biggest advantage is the depth of their squad, but Croatia's performance in terms of mental toughness and resilience proved to be more resilient as they have been through many World Cups. Some fans even criticized Morihoichi's incompetence, arguing that Japan could have finished in the top eight.
Feedback from Japanese fans after the game varied, but expectations for their team remained extremely high. This is inextricably linked to Japan's history of World Cup participation. Despite Japan once again finishing in the 1/8 finals and once again missing out on a top eight World Cup finish, their 20+ years of World Cup experience still makes the national soccer team proud. From their first World Cup appearance in 1998 to four consecutive top 16 finishes in 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022, Japan made four appearances in the group stage. This time, they lost to Croatia on penalties, just one step short. In fact, Japan is aiming to finish in the top eight, and once they break that spell, they will be aiming straight for the World Cup title! So what exactly is the goal of the Japanese national soccer team?
At the end of the game, Mori Bauichi bowed deeply to the Japanese fans, and the Japanese team had to apologize even in such a situation? Yes, because he promised to lead the team into the top eight, which is their World Cup goal. In the post-match interview, Mori said that the players fought bravely for 120 minutes, and the penalty shootout loss was regrettable, but they will accept the result. In the end, Mori said firmly: "We will stand up and fight against the world's strongest teams, overcome their pride and move on to the next goal. The world looks at players with equal eyes and shows everyone a new era. Despite failing to make it to the last eight, we won against former World Cup winners like Germany and Spain. If we keep our faith, we will not only catch up with them, we will surpass them and change the world." As you can see, even though Japan failed to make a historic breakthrough in this World Cup, they have reaped the most important treasure - confidence. And Mori Boichi's statement is no longer an empty slogan, they are indeed only one step away from the top eight, while our national soccer team is now facing the confusion of how to go on.
The World Cup continues, but the journey of Asian teams has come to an end. The problems flowing to Asia and Chinese soccer are not the same. Looking at the remarkable improvement of the Asian teams in this World Cup, there is a real concern about the future of the national soccer team! The West Asian style of soccer is becoming more hardened. The technical gaps have been proven and we still seem to retain our physical superiority. But this time, Saudi Arabia and Iran showed their strengths with Iran as strong as ever and Saudi Arabia showing that they are at the top of their game in Asia. South Korea lost to Brazil, but they have been able to compete with second-tier European teams. Japan, on the other hand, has made even more progress and was even able to draw with Spain and Germany in the group stage. This is undoubtedly the top level in Asia right now! But the Japanese coaches and players are not satisfied and they are still blaming themselves! That's because they've raised their goal to compete for the World Cup.
Although Japan suffered another setback on their way to a top-eight finish in the World Cup, they gradually built up valuable confidence. So what about Chinese soccer? Should we only look forward to the expansion of the World Cup? Is that our only way out?
