It’s true!…Japan, the favorite, upsets Vietnam in an upset.
Asian Cup Group D 1st leg…4-2 win
Nakamura comeback goal, Ueda wedge goal Minamino’s 2 goals and 1 assist for a full point performance
It was a surprise, but it was me.
Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in the first leg of their Group D match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Asian Cup on Thursday at the Assoumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
The victory extended Japan’s unbeaten streak to 10 matches in a row, as they are one of the tournament favorites alongside South Korea.
South Korea, the defending champions, are looking to win their first title in 64 years, while Japan, the most decorated Asian Cup team (four times), are looking to win their first title in 13 years since the 2011 tournament in Qatar.
Japan topped Group D and South Korea topped Group E to advance to the Round of 16, where they will meet for the title in the final if both teams survive to the end.
With Hajime Moriyasu at the helm of Japan, Philippe Trousier, who coached Japan from 1998 to 2002, will lead Vietnam.
Trousier succeeded Park Hang-seo and has been in charge of Vietnam since February last year.
Korean referee Kim Jong-hyuk also drew attention for officiating the match.
Japan took the lead in the 11th minute through Takumi Minamino.
The ball came from a corner kick and Minamino finished with a right-footed shot.
Vietnam scored two goals in quick succession from set pieces to come back and put the pressure on Japan. In the 16th minute, Nguyen Dinh Park headed home a corner kick from the left side at the near post to equalize. 토토사이트
Then, in the 33rd minute, Pham Thuan Hai, who was rushing into the box, headed home a free kick from Bui Hoang Viet Anh after the goalkeeper had cleared it away.
However, Japan pulled one back before the half was over. In the 45th minute, Minamino received a forward pass from Wataru Endo and rattled the right post to tie the game at 2-2.
In the 49th minute, Keito Nakamura took a pass from Minamino and fired a right-footed curling shot in front of three defenders to regain the lead at 3-2.
The two teams had already created a “Pele score” in the first half. Minamino had a perfect first half with two goals and an assist.
Japan pushed for more goals throughout the second half, but it wasn’t until the 40th minute that they found a wedge.
Ayase Ueda made it a two-goal game with a right-footed shot from the front of the goal area off a pass from Takefusa Kubo.
Japan held a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal, but Vietnam also had a good passing game, with an 82% success rate to match Japan’s 87%.
