Coach Hajime waiting for the game to start
Japan’s Moriyasu, who had a bad day, lost to Iran, putting an early stop to their bid to win their 5th Asian Cup.
Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, lost 1-2 to Iran in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar on the 3rd.
Japan, who hold the record for the most number of victories in the Asian Cup (4 times), was chosen as the best candidate to win this tournament. Sports media as well as betting companies considered Japan to have the highest chance of winning.
As expected, Japan was evaluated as the best in match content among Asian teams in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which was held about a year ago.
They surprised everyone by defeating Spain and Germany 2-1 in succession and progressing to the round of 16.
Even after the World Cup, Lake Moriyasu was on a roll. Last September, they won 4-1 in a friendly away game against Germany.
Suzuki Zion lowers his head
(Al-Raiyan = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki Ja, who lost 1-2 in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asia Cup quarter-final match between Iran and Japan held at Education City Stadium Al-Raiyan in Qatar on the 3rd (local time) January is depressing. 2024.2.3 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
There is even an assessment that Japan has no rival in Asia.
However, when the Qatar Asian Cup started, the Moriyasu collapsed from ‘inside’.
Zion Suzuki, the mixed race goalkeeper whose coach Moriyasu was ambitiously appointed as the starting player, showed a very unstable performance.
Suzuki, who plays for Sint-Truiden in Belgium, is widely expected to receive an offer from English giants Manchester United.
However, when he actually stood on the Asia Cup stage, he made a series of mistakes.
Japan conceded goals in every game from the group stage to the quarter-finals, many of them due to Suzuki’s erratic play.
In the end, it was largely Suzuki’s fault that Japan progressed to the round of 16 by dropping to second place rather than first place in Group D.
While they progressed to the round of 16 by finishing second in their group, Japan had to face ‘tough foes’ Iran in the semi-finals relatively early on, and were eventually eliminated early.
After Japan struggled to reach the round of 16, there was an uproar when key striker Junya Ito was accused of sexual misconduct.
Ito controversial
(Doha = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Do-hoon = The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Asian Cup Round of 16 match between Bahrain and Japan held at the Assumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 31st (local time). Junya Ito is waiting for the game to start on the bench.
Japanese media company Daily Shinjo reported on the 31st that Ito has been criminally charged with being a sex offender. It was added that Ito is suspected of making two women, including the accuser, A, in her 20s, drink alcohol and then having sexual intercourse with them without their consent. 2024.1.31 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
According to Japanese media reports, Ito is suspected of having sex with two women without their consent after drinking alcohol.
The back-and-forth administration of the Japan Football Association (JFA) further exacerbated the controversy.
On the 1st, a day after the report came out, JFA announced that Ito would be withdrawn from the national team.
But that night, this decision was reversed. As voices calling for Ito to remain in the Japanese national team grew louder, the cancellation of the call was postponed.
However, in the end, it was decided to ban Ito from the team the next morning. It was the day before the match against Iran.
Coach Moriyasu’s comments in a press conference the day before the game were also more controversial.
Statements such as “I want to cherish my physical and mental health (Ito)” and “I’m very sorry that (Asian football fans) will be able to watch without the best player in the world (Ito)” were on the block break
Japan loses 1-2 to Iran
(Al-Raiyan = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Do-hoon = Japan’s Hajime Moriyasu lost 1-2 in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asia Cup quarter-final match between Iran and Japan held at the Al-Raiyan Education City Stadium in Qatar on the 3rd (local time) The coach comforts the players. 2024.2.3 superdoo82@yna.co.kr
From the perspective of the woman who complained of harm, it was a comment that could not help but be felt as a ‘second degree crime’.
Director Moriyasu also said, “Don’t push too hard,” which drew criticism from reporters.
In the end, Moriyasu, who was shaken from the inside, was packed early in the semi-finals.
Coach Moriyasu said in a press conference after the match, “I feel sorry for the national team officials. I also feel responsible,” and added, “The players did their best. Iran was deserves to progress (to the semi-finals).”
He continued, “The Asian Cup is over. Now, we will show our competitiveness in the North and Central American World Cup qualifiers.”
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