Will Japan prove 'Asia's strongest' by beating Japan and Australia with 3 consecutive wins + 14 goals and 0 points?
Will Japan prove 'Asia's strongest' by beating Japan and Australia with 3 consecutive wins + 14 goals and 0 points?
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Japan and Australia will clash for the strongest position in Asia. If Japan beats Australia, it can prove that it is the strongest in Asia, and it is very close to advancing to the World Cup finals.메이저놀이터
The Japanese national soccer team, led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, will face Australia in the fourth Group C match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama, Japan, at 7:35 p.m. on the 15th (Korea time). Currently, Japan is ranked first with three consecutive wins (nine points), and Australia is ranked second with one win, one draw and one loss (four points).
Japan is close to perfection in the Asian regional preliminaries. It won in every match from the second to the third round of the third round. Not only that, but it has allowed no single goal, and is producing content and results that are close to perfection.
The team was expected to face challenges in the third qualifying round. It was because it belonged to Group C, the so-called "group of death." Group C had tough teams, including Australia, a traditional powerhouse, Saudi Arabia, which beat Argentina, the "winning team" in the Qatar World Cup, and Indonesia under coach Shin Tae-yong.
However, when I opened the lid, the outcome was different. Japan met China, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia for a three-game winning streak and did not concede a single goal while recording 14 goals. If Japan wins the match against Australia, it will prove that it is the strongest in Asia and at the same time, it will be very close to advancing to the World Cup finals.
# "Pride" Australia succeeded in changing the mood by catching China
Australia has lost its pride. Australia is considered a traditional powerhouse in Asia, but it has been off to a rough start from the start of the third qualifying round. It got off to the worst start, losing 0-1 in the first match against Bahrain, and also had a 0-0 draw in the second match against Indonesia. It lost face by only earning one point in two matches, and was even criticized for failing to change generations.
Australia, which desperately needed to turn the mood around, pulled out a sword. Graham Arnold, who led Australia since 2018, resigned, and appointed Tony Popovich, who successfully led Melbourne Victory. Since then, the Australian Football Federation has expressed its expectation, saying, "Coach Popovich is a highly respected figure in Australian soccer and will provide in-depth experience not only domestically but also internationally."
He met expectations from the first game since his inauguration. At the third game against China held at home, he garnered his first win in the third round, and Popovich also secured his debut win. His performance has surely changed just by looking at his record. Based on his high ball possession rate of 73 percent, he made four shots on 18 shots and displayed overwhelming performance in most attack indicators including two big chances and 87 percent pass success rate.
Despite Australia's win against China, however, the reaction is still cold. "If Australia maintains its performance in the first half, it will definitely lose to Japan," the Australian media outlet News Network said harshly. "Currently, Australia is the worst 'kangaroo corps' in decades." For Popovich, he needs to bring good performance and turn the mood around in the match against Japan.
# Japan is close to perfection in both offense and defense, with 3 consecutive wins + 14 goals and 0 points
Japan has won all official matches since losing to Iran in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup in February. Since the second qualifying round for the World Cup against North Korea in March, it has scored 28 points and 0 points in seven official matches so far, showing a near-perfect performance.
Unlike the second qualifying round, which has somewhat weak teams, some predicted that the team would struggle from the third qualifying round, in which strong Asian players come out in earnest. However, the team won 7-0 in the first match against China, and 5-0 in an away match against Bahrain in the second match, dispelling concerns.
The third test was against Saudi Arabia. Notably, Roberto Mancini, who is leading Saudi Arabia, is a mastermind who led Italy in 2020 and won the Euro 2020. Since then, he has been leading Saudi Arabia since 2023 and has made an "unexpected difference" by defeating "Champion" Argentina in the first group match of the last Qatar World Cup.
However, Japan was strong. Japan was trailing 43-57 in possession ratio and 7-13 in shooting number, but boasted efficient game management and high goal-scoring ability, winning 2-0 and continuing a scoreless streak. In particular, the victory was meaningful as it was the first away win in Saudi Arabia's soccer history.
"It was a difficult game, but it was thanks to the players' preparation without avoiding tough battles," Moriyasu of Japan said afterwards, adding, "Japanese soccer is growing day by day. We will continue to advance towards the next goal, higher and higher," vowing to win against Australia.
By beating Australia, we can prove once again that we are the strongest in Asia. In particular, Japan has an advantage with six wins, three draws and one loss against Australia, and has not lost since its last defeat in 2006. Japan intends to continue this momentum and move closer to the World Cup finals, while Australia wants to break the Japanese jinx and succeed in turning the mood around.