Japanese coach confirms defeating Iran with similar style of play against Vietnam
Hajime Moriyasu said his team did not change their tactics compared to previous matches, despite crushing the championship candidate 3-0 in the semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup.
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Japan won convincingly against Iran thanks to reasonable tactics. Photo:AFC |
Japan had won all five of their previous Asian Cup semi-final matches by one goal. They were therefore widely criticised for their pragmatic style of play, even against underdogs such as Oman, Turkmenistan (group stage) and Vietnam (quarter-final). However, when they faced Iran in the semi-final on the evening of January 28, Hajime Moriyasu’s team won 3-0.
Evaluating after the match at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (Al Ain, UAE), the Japanese coach said: "Iran had achieved good results before and we knew they would be a tough opponent. However, my players were well prepared and showed great fighting spirit. They did not forget the idea of competition and that helped us win."
He then emphasized: "I don't think we changed the way we played compared to previous matches, but the problem was the way the players performed on the pitch. With understanding and respect for their opponents, they tried to show their best individually and collectively, in addition to the will to fight for the result of the match."
Except for the draw with Iraq in the group stage when they had already qualified, Iran always showed their superiority and easily crushed their opponents with a large margin. However, Carlos Queiroz's team failed to show that yesterday.
"Knowing that Iran has a strong attack and good physical strength, Japan determined to play aggressively and show high fighting spirit. That was the difference. We tried to win the second ball to look for opportunities. We knew it would be difficult to keep the ball against Iran but the players tried very hard," coach Moriyasu added. "We were consistent in both attack and defense, especially patient in stopping Iran's attacks. And we did not use only one style of play in this match. The players showed flexibility and that brought victory. We will enter the final with a suitable style of play but when faced with reality, the players can adjust it."
Japan will meet the winner of the semi-final between hosts UAE and Qatar in the final on February 1.
