Japan’s loss to Croatia in a penalty shootout and South Korea’s 4-1 defeat to Brazil have ended their World Cup runs.
Japan’s penalty shootout defeat to Croatia adopted by Brazil’s strong 4-1 win over South Korea have ended Asian hopes on the World Cup in Qatar.
The sooner loss by Australia to Argentina within the group of 16 knockouts implies that all three Asian Soccer Confederation groups have now been eradicated within the first knockout spherical of the World Cup.
However the Samurai Blue and the Taegeuk Warriors have a lot to be happy with, not least Japan’s shock upsets in successful matches in opposition to European heavyweights Germany (2-1) and Spain (2-1) within the group stage, and South Korea’s gorgeous 2-1 win over Portugal.
Japan’s Nikkei Asia information organisation had described Monday’s video games as “one of many greatest nights in Asian soccer for 20 years” and South Korea’s Yonhap information company wrote of the unlikely journey of the nationwide crew to the knockout stage of the World Cup in what had change into a “memorable underdog story”.
In the end, each intrepid campaigns got here to an finish because the East Asian footballing giants had been unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Japan have been to the primary group-of-16 knockout spherical thrice in six journeys to the World Cup finals however have by no means gone any additional, a state of affairs Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu had dedicated his gamers to rectifying in Qatar regardless of a tricky draw within the group stage.
As group winners in Qatar and defeating two former world champions within the course of, Japan went by way of to face a streetwise Croatian crew on Monday and after 120 minutes of play and a 1-1 draw, the Japanese faltered and went down 3-1 on penalties.
“I believe the remorse we really feel with this loss will result in one thing higher within the years to return,” stated fullback Yuto Nagatomo, who was taking part in his fourth and doubtless closing World Cup.
“We had been in a position to present the Japanese folks’s combating spirit. It was tough to lose however Japanese soccer is unquestionably, making progress,” he stated.
Coach Moriyasu tried to melt the blow of one other knockout loss, saying the crew had entered a “new period”.
“We can't be superheroes in a single go,” Moriyasu stated. “We've to enhance step-by-step. However Japan is reaching a stage the place we will play on the world stage.”
“These gamers can look eye-to-eye with anybody now and take confidence in who we beat,” he stated.
Moriyasu had addressed his crew on the centre of the sector after their loss to Croatia. Many gamers slumped on the bottom, others cried, and everybody consoled anybody inside attain.
“Though the outcome was not what we anticipated, I informed them (the gamers) that it doesn’t negate every thing they did,” Moriyasu stated later.
“However we couldn't break by way of the spherical of 16 and see a brand new panorama.”
Moriyasu praised the Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic who stopped three penalty pictures by Japan within the shootout.
“We've to just accept this outcome,” the coach stated. “However whether or not we succumbed to strain, I don’t suppose so. I believe the goalkeeper was nice.”
Japan’s goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda addressed the failure immediately.
“We got here up brief,” he stated. “We did every thing we may the final 4 years.”
‘They gave every thing’
South Korea’s Son Heung-min – a celebrity from the UK’s Premier League and one of the best Asian participant on the planet – stated his crew “gave every thing” within the battle in opposition to Brazil, however it was not sufficient.
“Brazil is the favorite, have a look at their gamers. When you give them areas they rating,” stated Son, who recovered in time from a watch socket fracture to function in Qatar, sporting a masks to guard his face throughout matches.
“I’m so happy with what we’ve achieved and I don’t need to blame any of our gamers as a result of they gave every thing,” he stated.
![Brazil v South Korea, FIFA World Cup 2022, December 5, Stadium 974 [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SOR05160.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
As co-hosts of the World Cup with Japan in 2002, South Korea had reached the semi-finals beneath Dutch coach Guus Hiddink. That 12 months the facet and went down in soccer historical past as the primary crew from outdoors Europe and the Americas to succeed in the final 4.
South Korea’s Portuguese coach Paulo Bento had moved to mood expectations even earlier than the primary recreation in Qatar, not desirous to burden his facet with the strain of getting to qualify for the knockouts after three group stage exits at earlier World Cup tournaments.
“I imagine our participation on the World Cup has resulted in a particularly reasonable method,” Bento stated after the Brazil match, the place he additionally confirmed that he was leaving his position because the Korean crew’s coach.
“I've to thank them for every thing, they gave their finest. I've been proud to be their supervisor,” stated Bento, who had been in his place since 2018.
Although their goals of a World Cup win have ended, South Korea’s supporters stated they had been happy with how far their crew had come.
1000's of followers in Seoul braved the chilly and snow within the early hours of Tuesday morning to look at their facet’s World Cup run finish in a 4-1 win for Brazil. South Korea’s information company Yonhap reported that a capability crowd of 33,000 followers attended an outside match-watching occasion within the metropolis centre, regardless of snow flurries and temperatures that dropped beneath zero (32 levels Fahrenheit).
“The outcome isn't vital,” 22-year-old scholar Lee Hyun-seo informed the Related Press on the outside occasion.
“Because of our gamers, it was actually cool and proud simply to have reached the spherical of 16.”
Kim Jae-cheol, 25, one other scholar on the occasion, stated the Brazilian crew’s victory was anticipated and the loss wouldn't diminish assist for the South Korean facet.
“I'll maintain supporting the Korean crew and I believe we will go to the quarter-finals and semi-finals sometime if we proceed to play our personal model.”
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