One of the most surprising nations (In a good way) in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is, of course, Japan the “Land of the Rising Sun”. The Samurai Blue was placed in Group E, alongside two former world champions, Spain and Germany as well as world no. 31 Costa Rica. Many have predicted the Japanese to finish the group as the third-best team, or worse, the bottom of the group, but instead they produced jaw-dropping displays to upset both La Roja and Die Mannschaft with comeback wins after the said European nations achieved early leads. They collected 6 points out of a possible 9 and only dropped points against the weakest opponent among their groupmates, Costa Rica.
Things were looking promising for the Samurai Blue, and many looked forward to seeing them in the quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in football history, but the script ending did not go their way despite them taking an early lead against their Round of 16 opposition and last edition’s runner-up, Croatia.
Japan Drew First Blood for the First Time in This Tournament
Boosted with confidence, warriors from the Land of the Rising Sun started the game positively, with several created chances almost ended in the back of the net. They continued to knock the door and their glorious moment finally came moments before the added time was awarded. SC Freiburg’s Ritsu Dōan sent a cross to the Croatian box after a short Japanese corner, and the ball then won by FC Schalke 04’s Maya Yoshida, before Celtic’s Daizen Maeda hit home the knockdown with his left foot. The excitement level of the Samurai Blue players as well as its fans reached a new height after the goal, sadly their triumph did not last long.
Ten minutes into the second 45 minutes, Tottenham Hotspur’s Ivan Perišić headed in an equaliser delivered by former Liverpool man Dejan Lovren for Kockasti. The shot was easily savable by Japan’s goalkeeper had it not bounced on the field, but unfortunately it was not the case. The 1-1 score line remained till the final whistle of the game, and not even the extra time can separate the two, which meant a series of spot kicks would determine who goes through to the next round.
First Penalty Shoot-Out of the Tournament
Japan went first in the shootout, but they were clearly nervous and had their initial two soft shots read perfectly by the Croatian shot stopper Dominik Livaković. Kockasti took the Samurai Blue’s mistake to their advantage and gained a 2-0 lead before the Japanese pulled one back through VfL Bochum’s Takuma Asano and Marko Livaja missed the following attempt. But the pressure was too much for Japan’s captain Maya Yoshida as Livaković completed his hat-trick of saves in the shoot-out. Atalanta B. C.’s Mario Pašalić slotted home the 4th penalty for Croatia, allowing the Kockasti to book a place in the quarterfinal of the tournament.
Japan beat two World Cup winners in Spain and Germany while pushing Croatia to penalties 😮
They have so much to be proud of 🇯🇵❤️ pic.twitter.com/BwetMTzura
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 5, 2022
Two Records Stood in This Match
Before the match, Japan has never reached the quarterfinal stage of the world cup, losing each of their last three attempts agonisingly at the Round of 16 while Croatia is undefeated in the last 16 stage of the quadrennial tournament. The clash between the two made these records continued to stand.
Kockasti will meet five-time world champion Brazil next, after the Selecao overcame another Asian counterpart, South Korea with a 4-1 riot.
Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time top scorer in their 3-1 win against Poland in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: https://www.otherleague.com/worldcup/moments-of-sheer-brilliance-and-record-goal-by-kylian-mbappe-and-olivier-giroud-sent-les-blues-to-the-quarterfinal-meets-england-next/
(Photo Credits: Sky Sports)
