The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Qatar plotting to deny Japan in Asian Cup final

Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
30th January, 2019
0

Japan will be out to secure a record-extending fifth Asian Cup title when they take on Qatar in what should be a tight final on Friday.

The Samurai Blue may have the Asian Cup pedigree but they are a work in progress and stuttered through their early matches in the UAE before a ruthless 3-0 humbling of heavyweights Iran in the semi-finals.

Qatar had the easier route through the last four against the hosts but showed huge character in the face of a hostile crowd to run out 4-0 winners and reach a continental title-decider for the first time.

Felix Sanchez’s Qatar side have the tournament’s leading marksman in Almoez Ali, who scored his eighth goal against the UAE to match Ali Daei’s 1996 record, and go into the final having won all six matches without conceding a single goal.

Japan striker Yuya Osako, who scored two goals against Iran, will certainly test the Qatar defensive line at Zayed Sports City but it will be bolstered by the return from suspension of Bassam Al-Rawri.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu took over Japan after last year’s run to the last 16 at the World Cup and the control they showed in beating Iran was testimony to his rebuilding work.

But while their ultimate goal will be to avoid humiliation when Qatar becomes the first Gulf nation to host the World Cup in three years’ time, there is a sense they are on something of a mission in the UAE as they bid to take a first major international trophy home to them.

With few Japanese fans having made the trip and the locals not being too well-disposed towards the Qataris at the moment, there might not be much of a crowd to see them do it if they can prevent Japan from lifting the cup for a fifth time.

Advertisement
close