Summary of news and results of the Qatar 2022 World Cup on November 26 4:20
(Reuters) --
Japan's soccer team squandered their chance to seal their place in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday after a late Keysher Fuller goal gave Costa Rica an upset 1-0 victory in a match in which he barely kicked on goal.
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Costa Rica, which had just been beaten 7-0 by Spain in its debut, has three points, the same as Japan, and reaches the final group match against Germany with the chance of reaching the round of 16, something unthinkable after the debacle of the first meet.
Yeltsin Tejeda (R) and Keysher Fuller of Costa Rica celebrate after the 1-0 victory during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Japan and Costa Rica at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 27, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.
(Credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The Asians failed to build on the momentum of their shock victory over Germany on Wednesday and will regret a series of missed opportunities in a game in which they showed little creativity against a Costa Rican side that they defended resolutely.
Why are Costa Ricans called "the Ticos"?
When no one expected it, Fuller shot from the edge of the area and broke the weak resistance of goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.
The loss leaves Japan with a tough challenge to advance to the round of 16, as it will define their chances of advancing against Spain on Thursday.
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The technician Moriyasu is the center of criticism
Hajime Moriyasu.
Credit: RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, hailed as the tactical mastermind after the 2-1 win over Germany, came under fire on Sunday after the loss against the Central American team.
Moriyasu's extreme caution was perhaps justified against Germany, but keeping the attacking talent at his disposal on the bench against a team that lost 7-0 to Spain in their tournament opener seemed like a staggering waste.
Players like Takumi Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma had shown what they could bring to Japan's attack against one of the best defenses in the world after coming on in the 2-1 win against Germany.
Although Moriyasu made five substitutions for the match against Costa Rica, only Ritsu Doan, one of the substitutes who came on to change the course of the match against Germany, started.
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Japan started again with a four-man defense, as they did during the first hour against Germany, and did not switch to a three-man back line until half-time.
The Japanese team never found a way to create much danger against the Costa Rican fence, which kept 10 men behind the ball for much of the time, and moved the ball from one side of the field to the other without depth to enable their forwards.
Despite some changes in the final part of the match, nothing much changed in the process, and things got worse for the Asian team when Keysher Fuller scored with his team's first shot on goal.
Moriyasu made no apologies for his team's bland display just days after one of their biggest victories.
"I don't regret anything, to be honest," the coach told reporters.
"The result was a shame, but it does not mean that what we have done is wrong. I decided the tactic (...) The result did not work, but we tried," he added.
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