Japan U23 national team, clinched 2nd time champions after beating Uzbekistan U23 national team scoring 1-0 in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Final at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
In the match, Uzbekistan National Team used their organized defence to increase the number of times they approached the goal with a focus on mid-range shots, while Japan National Team had periods where they were unable to attack.
They failed to break through the opponent’s defence, and in the 28th minute, Sato cut off a horizontal pass from the opponent in front of the box and swung his right foot, but his shot went wide off the target. In the end, the first half ended like this. While the U-23 Uzbekistan National Team took nine shots, Japan could only manage one shot by Sato.
Even in the second half, there was no major movement in the game, and the game remained scoreless. If the game continues to approach the end of the game, 11 minutes of stoppage time will be displayed in the second half, and the possibility of the game going into overtime is on the cards. At the 90+1 minute mark, the game finally moved.
Japan is near the centre of the pitch, connected with Fujita and Araki, and Kaede Yamada faces forward in front of the penalty area. Yamada swung his left foot, which is his speciality, and the shot hit the opponent’s crotch and the goal net. This was the first goal conceded in this tournament for Uzbekistan. Yamada’s left foot drew victory for Japan.
Japan took the lead with a last-minute goal, but immediately after, Daiki Sekine’s handball was recognized in response to a crossball, giving Uzbekistan a chance for a penalty kick. Japan, but goalkeeper Reo Kokubo Bryan perfectly read the course of the kick thrown by Umarari Rakhmonaliev and deflected it away. Thanks to the efforts of their “guardian”, Japan.
They maintained their lead through 11 minutes of added time, and the game ended. As a result, Japan won the tournament for the first time in four tournaments since 2016. The “Olympic year” is off to a great start, and we will head to the 2024 Paris Olympics in July.
Credit Photo : AFC
