Japan, Uzbekistan in semis
Source: Agencies |
January 23, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A LAST-MINUTE goal by Japan's Masahiko Inoha ended the run of host Qatar in the quarterfinals at the Asian Cup on Friday, as Uzbekistan reached the semifinals for the first time at the expense of Jordan.
Qatar fought valiantly against a technically superior Japan side. It took the lead twice and had a one-man advantage for the last half-hour after Maya Yoshida was sent off for two bookings. However, with extra time beckoning, fullback Inoha rammed the ball home after good work by the outstanding Shinji Kagawa, who scored Japan's other two goals, to secure a 3-2 victory.
Japan will face South Korea or Iran after their semifinals. Uzbekistan beat Jordan 2-1 to set up a meeting with Iraq or Australia.
Jordan and Qatar were the only real surprises in the quarterfinal lineup, and while neither could stretch their runs any further, both teams contributed to two absorbing matches.
"Qatar should be very proud of its players," said the host team's French coach Bruno Metsu. "The players were disappointed tonight and some of them were crying. We should use this time to raise the morale."
The game was played in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at the Gharafa Stadium of mainly Qatar fans, who saw their team deliver a performance that suggested Qatar is on track to produce a competitive team for its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni felt the win was reward for his team's commitment to its attacking style of play, even after the sending off.
"After we went down to 10 men, we had more possession compared to Qatar. It was a great comeback," he said. "I could evaluate the mentality of the players today. Our defender scored our third goal and that showed what Japanese football is about.
"It doesn't matter who we play against, we have to have bravery to play the Japanese style of football."
Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Suria was the focal point for the Qatar attack, and he set the tone for an end-to-end encounter by opening the scoring in the 12th minute when he broke the offside trap and cut inside before beating Eiji Kawashima in the Japan goal.
Japan drew level before halftime when Kagawa nodded over the line after Shinji Okazaki had lobbed the goalkeeper, but the home crowd's hopes were lifted again when Yoshida was harshly given a second yellow card in the 61st for a challenge on Yusef Ahmed.
To make matters worse for Japan, substitute Fabio Cesar's low, swerving freekick crept in at the near post, to the embarrassment of Kawashima. But Borussia Dortmund striker Kagawa finished crisply to make it 2-2 before he was upended in the box, only for the ball to break for Inoha to slam it into the net for the winner.
After a goalless first half, the second quarterfinal between Uzbekistan and Jordan burst into life with a flurry of goals after halftime.
Ulugbek Bakaev took advantage of poor defending to score twice in four minutes and though Jordan had chances to equalize after Bashar Bani Yaseen cut the deficit in the 58th, Uzbekistan held on to reach the semifinals for the first time.
Qatar fought valiantly against a technically superior Japan side. It took the lead twice and had a one-man advantage for the last half-hour after Maya Yoshida was sent off for two bookings. However, with extra time beckoning, fullback Inoha rammed the ball home after good work by the outstanding Shinji Kagawa, who scored Japan's other two goals, to secure a 3-2 victory.
Japan will face South Korea or Iran after their semifinals. Uzbekistan beat Jordan 2-1 to set up a meeting with Iraq or Australia.
Jordan and Qatar were the only real surprises in the quarterfinal lineup, and while neither could stretch their runs any further, both teams contributed to two absorbing matches.
"Qatar should be very proud of its players," said the host team's French coach Bruno Metsu. "The players were disappointed tonight and some of them were crying. We should use this time to raise the morale."
The game was played in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at the Gharafa Stadium of mainly Qatar fans, who saw their team deliver a performance that suggested Qatar is on track to produce a competitive team for its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni felt the win was reward for his team's commitment to its attacking style of play, even after the sending off.
"After we went down to 10 men, we had more possession compared to Qatar. It was a great comeback," he said. "I could evaluate the mentality of the players today. Our defender scored our third goal and that showed what Japanese football is about.
"It doesn't matter who we play against, we have to have bravery to play the Japanese style of football."
Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Suria was the focal point for the Qatar attack, and he set the tone for an end-to-end encounter by opening the scoring in the 12th minute when he broke the offside trap and cut inside before beating Eiji Kawashima in the Japan goal.
Japan drew level before halftime when Kagawa nodded over the line after Shinji Okazaki had lobbed the goalkeeper, but the home crowd's hopes were lifted again when Yoshida was harshly given a second yellow card in the 61st for a challenge on Yusef Ahmed.
To make matters worse for Japan, substitute Fabio Cesar's low, swerving freekick crept in at the near post, to the embarrassment of Kawashima. But Borussia Dortmund striker Kagawa finished crisply to make it 2-2 before he was upended in the box, only for the ball to break for Inoha to slam it into the net for the winner.
After a goalless first half, the second quarterfinal between Uzbekistan and Jordan burst into life with a flurry of goals after halftime.
Ulugbek Bakaev took advantage of poor defending to score twice in four minutes and though Jordan had chances to equalize after Bashar Bani Yaseen cut the deficit in the 58th, Uzbekistan held on to reach the semifinals for the first time.
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