The competitive landscape of East and West Asia in this Asian Cup has changed significantly. Despite the large number of teams in Asian football, East and West Asia are undoubtedly the two strongest sectors. Australia, as a team from Oceania, cannot be classified as a team, although its strength cannot be ignored. Correspondingly, the strength of teams in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia has improved rapidly, but it is still not comparable to that of East and West Asia.
In this Asian Cup, West Asian teams quickly crushed East Asian teams, while Black African teams overwhelmed North African teams. This trend is clear. In the case of the national football team, although no one thinks they are a strong team, many people generally believe that the national football team should rely on its strength to defeat Lebanon and Tajikistan, which are ranked lower, in the group stage. It turned out to be overly optimistic. Only four teams from East Asia participated in this Asian Cup, with the national football team and Hong Kong, China both eliminated in the group stage.
Japan and South Korea are almost impossible to make it to the group stage due to their strength. Neither Japan nor South Korea performed well in the group stage. Japan was snubbed by Iraq, South Korea was beaten badly by Jordan, and the two teams met again in the semi-finals, with South Korea being beaten outright. Although Japan won the match against Bahrain, it was not commendable in terms of the strength of the two sides. And in the face of Iran, Japan is at a disadvantage both in terms of the result of the match and the process. As for South Korea, perhaps they did their best in the elimination of Saudi Arabia. South Korea also didn't manage to beat Saudi Arabia in 120 minutes, and they just got lucky. In fact, just look at the final results. Qatar vs. Jordan, two West Asian teams compete for the Asian Cup, while East Asian teams are nowhere to be seen.
Expectations were high for Japan and South Korea to have at least one of their teams make it to the finals, but none of them came to fruition. It is safe to say that West Asia has the upper hand over East Asia, while Black Africa overwhelms North Africa. The situation is even more pronounced in the Africa Cup of Nations. While Japan and South Korea were able to beat some second- and third-rate West Asian teams in the Asian Cup, North Africans were undoubtedly disappointed at the Africa Cup of Nations. Tunisia and Algeria, as North African powerhouses, both failed in the group stage, which is really embarrassing.
Egypt narrowly advanced in the group stage before losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Only Morocco had a slight scrape of spirit and qualified as group winners in the group stage. But in the round of 16, they were completely defeated by South Africa. In fact, this match can almost be seen as a microcosm of Black Africa's suppression of North Africa. In the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, it was all black African teams, and all North African teams were eliminated. The Africa Cup of Nations essentially became the Black Africa Cup of Nations. Without even looking at the final, the absence of a North African team in the final four is enough proof that Black Africa overwhelms North Africa.
From our point of view, we are more familiar with and identify with East Asian teams, which is definitely more than West Asian teams. For Asia and Africa, North Africa seems to be closer to Asia. In this Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, East Asian teams are not competitive, and North African teams are unable to make progress. Hopefully, this is only a temporary trend. In the Asian Cup of Nations and Africa Cup of Nations, the competition pattern between East and West Asia is becoming more and more obvious. Despite the large number of teams in Asian football, East and West Asia have shown remarkable strength. Although Australia is from Oceania and its strength cannot be underestimated, it is difficult to compare with the two major powers in Asia. Although the strength of Southeast Asian, Central Asian and South Asian teams is rising rapidly, there is still a considerable gap between them and East and West Asia.
In the Asian Cup, West Asian teams quickly crushed their East Asian opponents, while the Africa Cup of Nations was dominated by Black Africa, and North African teams were helpless. The early exit of the national football team and Hong Kong, China in the group stage of the Asian Cup brought some disappointment to the fans. In contrast, Japan and South Korea, two strong teams, also failed to perform as well as they should in the group stage. Japan was defeated by Iraq, while South Korea suffered a crushing defeat in the semi-finals after a fierce battle with Jordan. Despite Japan's victory against Bahrain, the result was not convincing.
The dominant dominance of West Asian teams in the Asian Cup is becoming more and more obvious, with Qatar and Jordan competing for the title in the final, while East Asian teams are missing out on the title. People had higher expectations for Japan and South Korea, but this time they didn't. The Asian Cup has become the dominant arena in West Asia, and the situation in the Africa Cup of Nations is even more obvious. It's a shame that Tunisia and Algeria, two North African powerhouses, were eliminated early in the group stage. Egypt narrowly advanced in the group stage, only to lose to the Democratic Republic of Congo later. Morocco, the only player with fighting spirit, was also beaten by South Africa in the round of 16.
In the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, all black African teams were spared, and no North African team was spared. The competition became the stage for Black Africa, which suppressed North Africa to the point of powerlessness. From our point of view, the familiarity and identification with the East Asian teams is far greater than the knowledge of the West Asian teams. Between Asia and Africa, North Africa seems to be closer to Asia. In this Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, East Asian teams have been weak, and North African teams have been unable to make a breakthrough. It is hoped that this is only a temporary trend, and there may be more possibilities in the future.
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