On November 27, Beijing time, Japan faced off against Costa Rica in the second round of Group E of the World Cup. Japan has held the initiative throughout the match but hasn’t been able to score. After the Japanese defense failed to clear the ball, Fuller scored for Costa Rica to take the lead with the score of 0-1 in the 81st minute. At last, Japan was beaten by Costa Rica with the score of 1-0.
However, the match’s first half was rather dull, with little threat from either side. Possession of ball is also evenly distributed, with no clear indication of which team is stronger. Slow process also caused the Japanese team to start to worry. In the second half, they changed their lineup and launched an impact from the other side of the penalty area, but in vain.
Instead, Costa Rica, which resisted Japan’s aggression, scored with a strong shot from Fuller in the 80th minute. The ball touched the Japanese goalkeeper, but he was unable to stop it, and Costa Rica scored the match’s only goal to win.
As a result, Group E is in disarray with Spain, Costa Rica, and Japan all having three points. In the final round of qualifying, Japan will compete against Spain.
This match is very important for Japan to qualify for the group. Three points from this match would have essentially ensured the group’s qualification after defeating Germany in the first round.
Global sports fans predicted Japan would defeat Costa Rica prior to the match. In addition, the match began at 13:00, when it was the hottest time in Qatar. The general goal is very few compared to the previous many matches, and it is difficult to discern the attack’s advantage at this point in the match.
Japan’s performance in the first half was indeed unexpected. Both teams appeared to be concentrating on the “face-to-face confrontation,” the tempo was slow, and neither side had a high passing success rate. To Costa Rica’s five fouls, Japan committed 12 of its own in the first half. In the first half, Japan’s highly anticipated Kamada fumbled a number of passes. As a result, fans referred to the opening period of the match as “the most boring first half.”
The Japan coach even made two substitutions in the second half, replacing Nagasomo Yudo and Ueda Katsu with ITO Yoshige and Asano Takumo, respectively. Morita scored two goals of high quality in the first two minutes of the match, showcasing the strength of the Japanese team. However, Japan soon found themselves in offense of Costa Rica once more, despite the fact that their attack was much stronger than it was in the first half.
When Hidemasa Morita of Japan lost possession of the ball in the 80th minute, Costa Rica capitalized on the error. Japan were on the ropes when Fowler curled a shot into the empty corner. It was also the match’s first shot on goal and Costa Rica’s first goal of the World Cup.
In the end, Japan failed to score an equalizer in the final 16 minutes, despite having six minutes of stoppage time. They had to accept the loss, which was the game’s unexpected result.
Three teams in the group had three points after the match. Germany and Spain will be crucial for the rest of the tournament. If Germany defeats Spain, four teams will be tied on three points. That would be disastrous for Japan, which will face off against Spain in the final round.