Japan beat Spain 2-1 – Both teams in round of 16

The Spaniards gave up a 1-0 half-time lead in Thursday’s final group game against Japan and lost 2-1. The Japanese not only grabbed the ticket for the knockout phase, but also sensationally won the group. Vice world champions Croatia await them in the round of 16. The Spaniards face surprise team Morocco.

Japan made it to the round of 16 for the first time in two consecutive World Cups. The Asians looked changed after the break in front of a crowd of 44,851 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan. Goals from Ritsu Doan (48′) and Ao Tanaka (51′) turned the game around. Alvaro Morata put the Spaniards ahead with his third World Cup goal (11th).

Spain’s team boss Luis Enrique changed his starting XI in five positions with the group victory in mind. With Cesar Azpilicueta, Pau Torres and Alejandro Balde, three quarters of the back four were new. The midfield showpiece with Gavi, the yellow endangered captain Sergio Busquets and Pedri remained. Center forward Morata came into the team after two “joker” goals against Costa Rica (7-0) and Germany (1-1), as did youngster Nico Williams.

The Japanese rotated vigorously again. There were five changes from the disappointing 1-0 draw with Costa Rica, for which team boss Hajime Moriyasu took the blame after numerous changes. However, the coach did not return to his successful formation from the 2-1 opening win against Germany. Among other things, Moriyasu put the midfielder Wataru Endo, captain of VfB Stuttgart, who has been strong in the course of the tournament, on the bench.

The Japanese had little to offer before the break apart from Junya Ito’s attempt to finish after Busquet’s error (8′). The Spaniards dictated the game, had more than 80 percent possession in the first half and played no fewer than 550 passes. One of them – a cross from Chelsea captain Azpilicueta – landed squarely on the head of Morata, who didn’t need to be asked twice. The Atletico Madrid striker scored his 30th goal in his 60th international match, his third at this World Cup. The 30-year-old was only the second Spaniard to score in the first three games of a World Cup after Telmo Zarra in 1950.

Morata tested Japan’s goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda (23rd) again, otherwise the Spaniards didn’t convert their clear superiority into scoring chances. This took revenge after the break when the Japanese rewarded themselves for their now much more aggressive pressing. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was forced into a poor pass which resulted in Balde losing the ball. As against Germany, Doan scored just minutes after coming on. The Freiburg legionnaire’s shot would have been tenable for Simon, however.

That’s not enough: the Japanese followed suit. Tanaka heaved the ball into the goal from close range. The ball seemed to come from behind the goal line when Kaoru Mitoma passed it. However, after studying the images for two minutes, the video assistant (VAR) gave the hit. Virtually, Spain was even eliminated from the tournament for a few minutes because Germany was temporarily behind against Costa Rica.

The world champion of 2010 lacked the penetrating power. Even if you settled in the opponent’s half like before the break – the well-positioned defense of the Japanese could no longer be broken. Dani Olmo came closest to scoring, but Gonda grabbed it safely (90′).

The Spaniards lost for the first time in their sixth World Cup duel with an Asian team. However, the defeat was manageable insofar as Morocco, the supposedly easier opponent than Croatia, is now waiting on Tuesday. In addition, the Spaniards probably escaped the tournament branch in this way, which could have brought them a quarter-final duel with record world champions Brazil.

This is now waiting for Japan. The Japanese will try on Monday in their fourth World Cup round of 16 after 2002, 2010 and 2018 against Croatia to get one more round for the first time. After surprise victories against Germany and Spain – in each case after a deficit – they can be trusted.