In a thrilling battle against Qatar, Japan fought hard to reach the last eight, and in overtime they fought hard to come back from the ten-man hosts with a 4-2 victory.
The Blue Warriors showed amazing fighting spirit to turn the tide in this fierce battle, especially mentioning star scorer Shin Hosoya, whose third goal was crucial. The team finally broke the drought in this tournament and managed to finish in the top four.
Compared to Iraq, Japan had an extra day's rest before the match, which was crucial for the physical battle. Japan will have to be careful not to concede the first goal against Iraq's fierce counterattack. I believe the offense will show great potential and the team's morale is high.
Iraq's Ali Shearson sealed the victory with a 12-yarder midway through the second half, eliminating Vietnam 12 yards :0 and advancing to the quarterfinals.
Iraq has created numerous good scoring chances in this campaign, with a solid defense and solid performance from the whole team. Mohammed's suspension will affect the creativity of the midfield, while Ali El's skillful dribbling will make Japan's defense need to be vigilant.
The extra day of preparation is certainly a big advantage for the Japanese team. I predict that the Blue Warriors will win in the 90 minutes of legal time and thus qualify for the finals, hopefully as the best of the men's Olympic soccer teams in Paris.
