June 7, Beijing time, the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian qualifiers second stage, 40 strong group F competition came to an end. Japan, even with most of its core players in hiding, still beat Tajikistan 4-1 to remain undefeated, winning all seven games, scoring 41 goals and conceding only one; Tajikistan, on the other hand, ranked second in the group with a record of seven games, three wins, one draw and two defeats, and accumulated 10 points. In the second place of the eight groups on the table, Tajikistan 5 games 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses, scored 6 goals and lost 12 goals, ranked after 3 games 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss of China, continue to the bottom of the table.
Group F: Japan 4-1 Tajikistan; Kyrgyzstan 0-1 Mongolia
Japan have already locked up their spot in the Round of 12 early after thrashing Myanmar 10-0 in the previous round. As a result, head coach Hiromichi Mori made bold changes to his lineup for this match with the intention of giving more young players real-world opportunities. Takuma Asano started at striker, while inexperienced players such as Shinnosuke Nakatani, Jun Kawabe, Vision Yamane and Henwu Furuhashi all made their debuts.
In the 6th minute of the match, Yamane sent a precise direct ball from the right side of the road, Takuma Asano grabbed the ball in the ribs and shot at the goalkeeper Yadimov, then Henwu Furuhashi got the ball and took it to 14 meters and scored a left-footed shot, giving the Japanese team a 1-0 lead. This was the fourth game for Japan, and the number of goals reached three.
In the 9th minute, Japan missed a pass in the penalty area, Tajikistan counterattacked on the spot, Safarov crossed from the right and Panshaembe grabbed a header from 8 meters to level the score at 1-1. It was also the first time Japan conceded a goal in this Asian Qualifying Round 40 match.
In the 40th minute, Yamane Sirai sent another fine pass, Furuhashi Henwu inserted a cross in front of the penalty area, and Minamino Takumi grabbed a left-footed shot to score, giving Japan a 2-1 lead at the end of the half.
Both teams made changes in the second half. In the 51st minute, after Hashimoto and Yamane's cooperation, Hashimoto's right-footed shot from 12 meters on the right side of the box was drilled into the lower left corner of the net, extending Japan's lead 3-1, and Furuhashi Henwu scored the first goal of his national team.
Japan then continued to intensify their attack and created several threats. In the 71st minute, Tajikistan's goalkeeper Yatimov made a cheap mistake and passed the ball directly to Kawabe Jun on the counterattack, who shot an empty net with his right foot from the right side of the penalty area, sealing Japan's 4-1 victory.
Mongolia, led by Nihon Hara head coach Hideki Mase, ended the second phase of the World Qualification Tournament with a 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan, temporarily placing them at the bottom of the group with two wins, six losses, three goals scored and 27 goals conceded, and six points. (Cheuk Ao Yau)
Japan starting line-up: 12-Shuichi Gonda; 4-Shoko Gen, 20-Sinnosuke Nakatani, 19-Sho Sasaki (62'16-Azumiya Ogawa), 22-Visurai Yamane; 13-Kenjin Hashimoto (68'7-Eisumasa Mamorita), 21-Shun Kawanabe; 8-Motoki Haraguchi (46 ' 17-Tatsuhiro Sakamoto), 10-Takumi Minamino (46'9-Daiichi Kamada), 11-Henwu Furuhashi; 18-Takuma Asano (74'6-Shogo Taniguchi)
