Asano completes comeback to shock four time winners
JAPAN’S first victory over Germany sent a seismic jolt through the World Cup and was reward for the courage shown by Hajime Moriyasu. The coach wrested this Group E opener his side’s way with a series of second-half substitutions that transformed the contest and consigned Germany to defeat in their opening World Cup match for a second consecutive tournament.
Four years ago in Russia a Hirving Lozano strike gave Mexico a famous win over the four-times champions. On Wednesday it was Takuma Asano of the Bundesliga’s Bochum who sent the vocal Japanese fans at Khalifa International Stadium into ecstasy along with his teammates and the rest of the squad who flooded on to the pitch to celebrate his 83rd-minute winner.
Asano, one of Moriyasu’s five replacements, took down a floating ball expertly along the right, outmuscled Nico Schlotterbeck and, after racing in on Manuel Neuer’s goal, rifled in, the Germany captain appearing to shy away from throwing his frame squarely in the way.
Minutes before Ritsu Doan, another substitute, had equalised Ilkay Gündogan’s first-half penalty and Doan seemed to have a fair shout for his own spot-kick when Antonio Rüdiger bundled him over. Although Germany pressed until the end — Neuer joined one attack in added time — they could not break down the blue wall before them and after Tuesday’s shock Saudi Arabia victory over Argentina, Qatar 2022 now has this upset, greeted at the final whistle with delirium by Japan. All of this with 26,2% possession, which underlines the truism concerning it being all about what is done with the ball.
Japan had offered an early warning when their speedy right winger Junya Ito broke along the flank and teed up Daizen Maed who scored but was correctly adjudged offside. From this juncture, though, until the hour mark Germany dominated. From his midfield berth Joshua Kimmich controlled proceedings, offering an exhibition of control and creativity while Gündogan was in total football mode, decorating the game with his coolly taken opener and long-range shots and passes plus a willingness to charge back into his area as he did twice before the break.
After Shuichi Gonda pushed one David Raum cross directly into Gündogan’s path and he unloaded only for the veteran defender Maya Yoshida to make a superb block, Gündogan’s penalty arrived. Gonda twice felled the left-back in the area — the second time when Raum popped straight back up — and the referee, Ivan Arcides Barton Cisnero, awarded the kick. Gündogan beat Gonda and Germany were now at their fluid best, Jamal Musiala’s bamboozling feet and clever distribution from the left adding further swagger to that of Kimmich, Gündogan and Thomas Müller.
In a flash the 19-year-old found space but blazed over, Musiala’s profligacy just one example of what would prove so costly yet at this junctureJapan wanted the half-time whistle, Germany for it not to sound so rampant were they — as Kai Havertz’s addedtime strike (rubbed out for offside) indicated.