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Since winning the league for the third time in a row in 1976, the Iranian national team has failed to qualify for the Asian Cup final, although it has reached the semi-finals five times on the last ten of the tournament.
Iran could now have the opportunity to qualify for the final and play the title in this edition presented by the United Arab Emirates until February 1, where the team will meet its Japanese counterpart on Monday at the stadium "Hazza bin Zayed To Al Ain in the first game Gold Championship.
The match between the two teams of the most successful candidates for the title and these gather about half of the titles of the previous 16 versions of the tournament, where the Japanese team (samurai warriors) was at the top of the list of titles most awarded with four titles against three for the Iranian team.
Therefore, the confrontation between the two teams was a quick conclusion of the tournament, noting that the two teams' progress in the semifinals of the tournament was not at the same level as the other.
Japan coach Hajemi Moriyasu recruited his players for a tactical battle at the 2019 Asian Cup, which ended without qualifying for "Samurai Blue" supporters.
Japan scored five goals by goal difference and reached the semifinals of the sixth round to hit Iran on Monday in Al Ain, but it does not appear on paper as a candidate to reach the final under Iran's striking power with the attackers Sardar Azmon and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
"We will build our approach according to the adversary," says Moribado, 50 years old. We had to defend ourselves against Saudi Arabia and at other times we controlled without registration. We will build on these experiences to prepare for the match against Iran.
After the impressive summer of the Japanese qualifications for the role of the 16th (the only one in Asia) and its proximity to the exclusion of Belacle Lula in the last minutes, Moribado took the helm of the team of East Asia instead of Akira Nishino and won nine wins and one draw, a remarkable performance. "Our players do not have a lot of experience on the international stage, so it's important to play tough matches in the Asian Cup," said Moriasu, crowned champion of Japan in 1992. " Winning in sets improves self-confidence and develops players and the team. "
Japan beat Turkmenistan in the first round, then imposed 3-2 in Oman with a penalty kick, behind Uzbekistan (2-1), Saudi Arabia only 24% and Takheiro Tomayasu. In the quarterfinals, she took control of Vietnam and was saved by a penalty from young Ritsu Duan.
"We had several difficult matches and sometimes we scored the first goal, but we managed to beat the score and we finally won a clean net," said defender Genta Miura. I saw Iran against China. It has fast strikers, but China has missed opportunities and I think we can take advantage of it. "
"The strength of the Japanese team lies in our ability to persevere, and if we are patient and play with equanimity, the chances will come."
Moribado, who has renounced stars such as Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, does not care about the quality of the results. "No matter how you win, it's important to qualify," he said.
Japan has produced first-clbad stars in the Asian Cup, such as Kazayoshi Miura (1992), Hiroshi Nanami (2000), Shunsuke Nakamura (2004) and Kisuke Honda (2011).
Yoshida commented on Japan's meager wins: "We did not score enough goals in the games but we won, we are not happy with our level in the tournament, but it's happening in football and we need to be more strong in the semifinals. "
With Werder Bremen forward Joya Osako, who returned 72 minutes against Vietnam, Moribado was counting on Ritsu Duan's victory over Vietnam.
"Playing aggressively in the last third is my strength," said Dwan, 20. Of course, I want to defeat the defensive back but I want to give the ball to the attackers ".
Japan started the tournament and is one of the best candidates for the fifth title after the quadruple of 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011, but he will have to face an Iranian team that scored 12 goals and was not able to win. did not shake the net.
"We will not win the opponent if we play a perfect ball," said Uchurio Motu of Newcastle United. We must be determined and win the match. "
"After the first half, I felt we could not break the opponent's defense," said midfielder Junki Haraguchi after a tough victory over Vietnam. We thought we had to work tirelessly to keep the opponent 's energy running out. This is what happened in the second half. "
"After the goal, we focused on cleaning our nets and managing risk as much as possible," he said.
Despite concentration, perseverance and tactical discipline, the Japanese have made defensive mistakes that could cost them dearly if they repeat them against Iran. "Even when we start the game with the intention of concentrating, we sometimes miss it because of exhaustion," said veteran forward Yoto Nagatomo. But it helped us become a stronger team. "
Iran is looking to qualify for the first final in 43 years when Japan, which has reached a record four times higher, will face on Monday the top two continental rivals in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup ™. Asia 2019 in Al Ain.
The other semi-finals will be held in the United Arab Emirates with Qatar on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
Since finishing third in the Asian Cup in 1976, Iran have failed to qualify for the semi-finals in five attempts, the last time in 2004 after losing to China on penalties.
Fifteen years later, Tim Milli is back in the semi-finals and is more confident than "getting lost." After the impressive results of the current edition, four wins, a draw, 12 goals and goal keeper Alireza Piranvand.
"The level that I have shown in previous matches and the cleanliness of my shirt have only been hard work and a constant effort to develop my level," said Piranvand, who was penalized by Ahmed Mubarak (Kano) in Oman in the eighth finals. "I hope to be able to continue at the same level in the match."
"We are now focusing on Japan to avoid any stumbling blocks, and we want to be champions, especially as we are a qualified team and have the right tools to do it." ambition, "said Persepolis goalkeeper.
Alireza Jahnabakhsh is eager to make history with Iran and told the AFC website: "We hope to go further (the semi-finals)." Japan has a very strong team but we hope to be able to write the story. "
Jahnabakhsh and Sardar Azzmon, Russian striker Ruben Kazan, must redouble efforts to compensate for the absence of Mehdi Tarmi, who scored three goals because of the suspension.
After Australia, second in the rankings of FIFA and South Korea, finished fourth, with the exception of Iran, Japan and the third Japan, who will face the Hazza stadium Bin Zayed at Al Ain for the first time in semifinal and fourth. (0-0), 1992 (1-0) and 2004 (0-0).
Carlos Queiroz, who has been leading Iran since 2011 and ended his contract after the tournament, warned his team's expectations of winning the 43-year-old title.
"Iran's win will not be easy because three other teams have qualified for the semi-finals and are all strong and worthy of the crown," said Kirosh, who qualified in 2015 to qualify for the quarter-finals against Iraq.
Iran and Japan were different in the current version, the first with a radical offensive and defense, while the second lacked comfortable progress in their matches. She had five wins by one goal, including three with a score of 1-0, eight goals and three conceded. However, the Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo believes that this is positive for his team and not the opposite.
"I think the way we control the matches after the registration is really good," said Endo. "We can play well with risk, and as a team we can determine how we want to play, especially on the defense side."
In addition to confidence, Japan has a perfect record in the semi-finals, having lost only once in Saudi Arabia 2 to 3 in 2007 and four times to win the title in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011.
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