In the final match of Group B of the third round of the Asian zone of the World Cup qualifying tournament, the Japanese team drew 1-1 with Vietnam at home, ending the journey of this year's World Cup with a draw. Japan's play was slightly sluggish, stirring up discontent among fans. However, head coach Mori Baoichi was full of bravado, declaring that the goal of this year's World Cup is to reach the last eight, and the momentum was strong!
Recall that on the eve of this year's Lunar New Year, China unexpectedly lost to Vietnam, reminding us of Fan Zhiyi's famous line from years ago: "Going on and on is going to lose Vietnam". Unexpectedly, it was almost Japan's turn this time! In the 19th minute of the first half, the Japanese team in a corner kick attack, by Vietnam's Nguyen Thanh Binh header, at the end of the half the Japanese team to 0-1 behind; and the second half in the 54th minute, Japan's captain, Maya Yoshida, seized the opportunity of the opponent's goalkeeper catching the ball wrongly, the success of the goalkeeper grabbed the ball to equalize the score, and ultimately, the two teams shook hands to make peace with the 1-1, the Japanese team luckily avoided the embarrassment of the loss.
After the match, fans were naturally dissatisfied with the performance of the Japanese team and pointed their fingers at head coach Mori Boichi. In the first three matches of the third round, Mori led the team to lose two matches and almost faced a crisis of dismissal. Fortunately, he adjusted his tactics in time and led the team to six consecutive victories, successfully advancing and retaining his position. Regarding the performance of this game, Mori Baoichi said, "I apologize for not being able to get a win, and we will try to improve the competitiveness of the team."
