Group D: Japan defeat Vietnam as both advance
Japan beat Vietnam 2-0 to book their place in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup™ Kuwait 2022 quarter-finals on Sunday. Japan finished as the Group D winners while Vietnam, despite the defeat, also advanced as they pipped Saudi Arabia to the runners-up spot, with all three teams finishing on six points.
03/10/2022 10:31:47
Japan’s target was clear, a win if they were to advance to the quarter-finals, and the three-time champions were almost ahead in the opening minute at the Saad Al Abdullah Hall but Tomoki Yoshikawa was denied by goalkeeper Ho Van Y, who had only conceded two goals in Vietnam’s previous two matches.
Japan captain Arthur Oliveira, who scored twice against Korea Republic on Matchday Two, was denied by the bar from a kick-in set-piece in the third minute while Ho pulled off a fingertip save to keep Neto Antonio Hirata’s header out.
Vietnam struggled to get into threatening positions due to Japan’s man-to-man marking, but Chau Doan Phat did force Higor Pires into making his first save of the match in the fourth minute with a crackling strike from distance.
Dominating much of the ball possession, Japan eventually found the coveted opening goal when Shimizu Kazuya collected Kentaro Ishida’s cross at the edge of the box, before rounding past Ho in the sixth minute.
To Vietnam’s credit, they were able to stave off Japan’s momentum, thanks to keeper Ho’s incredible reflexes, but struggled to find clear-cut opportunities to equalise as Japan entered the break with the advantage.
Sora Kanazawa nearly doubled Japan’s lead two minutes into the second half after connecting with Kokora Harada’s lob into the area, only to volley straight into the arms of Ho.
Defence was the name of the game for Vietnam, as they happily soaked up Japan’s immense pressure and moved mostly on counter-attacks, which they were nearly punished for at the half-hour mark when they were caught off guard by Pires’ long-range throw into the box, but Ho came to their rescue by pulling of a double save against Kazuya and Ishida.
Ho continued to be the busier custodian in the final 10 minutes, first parrying Oliveira’s effort in the 33rd minute, before denying Kazuya two minutes later.
But there was no stopping Kazuya in the 36th minute when he brilliantly struck home from an acute angle after outmuscling Nhan Gia Hung to seal the win for Japan.
Source: AFC
