At 7:30 p.m. on January 31, the Asian Cup 1 8 finals ushered in a high-profile matchup, with the Japanese men's football team facing Bahrain. In this game, the Japanese team showed strong strength and team cooperation ability, defeating the Bahrain team with a score of 3-1 and advancing to the top 8.
In the group stage, Japan's performance was not perfect, with no unbeaten record and even a shock defeat to Iraq. However, Japan still qualified for the knockout stage as group runners-up. Bahrain, on the other hand, came from the other group to finish first and advance to the knockout rounds.
Japan's goalkeeper was not in a good performance in this game, conceding goals in three consecutive games, which also raised questions about the team's defensive ability. Under such pressure, head coach Hoichi Moriyasu did not give up, but made full tactical arrangements and adjustments to the team.
As soon as the game started, the Japanese team quickly got into the groove. In the 10th minute, Japan took a corner kick and Kenei Kubo's lob went over the crossbar. In the 31st minute, Endo's cross was blocked, and the flag bearer Rei's shot was also defused by the defender. However, Ritsu Do'an cleverly shot into the net allowed Japan to break the deadlock first, and the score became 1-0.
In the 49th minute of the second half, Japan launched a counter-attack, and Kubo Kenei passed the ball to the flag bearer in the box, Kiyo, but the latter failed to catch the ball. Bahrain's player Haza Ali made a mistake when he returned the pass, and Kubo Kenei quickly followed up to score, and the score became 2-0. The goal completely disrupted the Bahrain team, and Japan continued to dominate the game.
In the 61st minute, Hidemasa Morita assisted Keito Nakamura to hit the net, but it was ruled offside and the goal was invalidated. In the 64th minute, Ayaka Suzuki and Ueda Kiyo made a mistake in coordination and blocked the ball into their own goal, and the score became 2-1. The goal gave Bahrain a glimmer of hope, but Japan didn't give them any chances.
In the 66th minute, Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mikasa came on as substitutes, replacing Kenei Kubo and Keito Nakamura. Kaoru Mikasa's appearance meant that he made his debut in the Asian Cup, and it also showed that Japan were starting to adjust their tactical arrangements. In the 72nd minute, Ueda scored after getting rid of a defender in the penalty area, and the score became 3-1. The goal sealed the win and eased the worries of the fans about the Japanese backline.
In the final moments of the game, Mori removed Ueda Kiyo and other absolute main players to prepare for the next game. At the end of 10 minutes of stoppage time, the game ended. The final score was fixed at 3-1, and the Japanese team successfully advanced to the top 8.