The Japan national soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup with an easy win over Bahrain.
Japan defeated Bahrain 3-1 in the round of 16 at the Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on July 31. Japan took the initiative from the beginning of the match and overwhelmed Bahrain with a relaxed game management throughout. It was a more steady performance after the win. Bahrain, who were drawn in Group E with South Korea and advanced to the round of 16 as the group’s top team, were brought to their knees by a lethargic performance against Japan. 안전카지노사이트 Bahrain also lost 1-3 to South Korea in the group stage. Japan will play the winner of the Iran-Syria match on Thursday at 2:30 a.m. in the quarterfinals.
Japan opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Doan Ritz (Freiburg) scored with a left-footed shot. With the score at 1-0 at halftime, Japan took the lead four minutes into the second half when Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) added a second goal. Japan added a late consolation goal from Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) in the 27th minute. It was his fourth goal of the tournament. Ueda moved into a tie for second place in goals scored with Akram Afif (Qatar). The leader is Aymen Hussein (Iraq) with six goals. However, Iraq was eliminated in the round of 16, so Hussein will not be able to score any more goals. South Korea’s Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) has three goals.
Japan’s leading striker, Junya Ito (Reims), did not play today. Ito is believed to have been absent in the aftermath of the sex scandal that broke before the game. Japanese media outlet The Daily Shinjo reported, “Ito has been criminally charged as a perpetrator of sexual offenses. Ito is suspected of having sex with two women, including the accuser, A, in her 20s, after making them drink alcohol and then having sex with them without their consent.”
The goalkeeping position, Japan’s sole perceived weakness, was also on display today. Japan’s goalkeeper Zaion Suzuki (Sint-Truidien) once again clumsily punched away a Bahraini header and then collided with a teammate while trying to retrieve the ball from the top of the box, sending the ball over the goal line and resulting in an own goal. Suzuki also conceded a goal against Iraq in the group stage due to poor aerial ball handling. The mistake ultimately cost Japan a 1-2 loss.