The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is turning out to be a game of upsets as it has yet again shocked football fans worldwide.
While the world has not got its head around the defeat of Argentina by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Khalifa International Stadium fitness another unexpected win when Japan defeated mighty Germany in their Group E opening match.
Japan took over the former four-times champions in a similar fashion to which Saudi Arabia took over Argentina, with a score of 2-1.
The game started off with an advantage to Germany as they were able to take the lead in the first half with a score of 1-0. German fans were confident in their strong team and with the experience of being the world champions four times, the team also was pretty confident in their game.
But as the second half was coming to an end, the game saw an unexpected turn.
Two substitute players of team Japan, Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano were called in during the last fifteen minutes of the match. The move seemed to benefit Japan in a massive way as both players were able to score for Japan in the 75th and 83rd minute of the game respectively. Germany failed miserably in making a comeback in such a short time period.
Right until the math, it seemed like Germany was on top of the Group E and their performance during the first half was also somewhat promising. While Germany was confident, Japan was not seen making any active moves during the game, until the last few minutes.
It was the substitutes that were made during the last fifteen minutes that changed the course of the match. The point scored by Doan in the 75th minute was from a tight angle and the goal left the German fans in quite a shock as Japan was struggling to get a hold of the match.
The goal scored by Doan saw a rise in the spirit of the Japanese players as they showed strength in their game and Asano was really successful in turning that strength into a winning point for the Japanese team.
Asano showed some excellent skill and footwork when he brought down a strong freekick from and also in his ability to hold off the German defender Nico Schlotterbeck, and finally, with some fantastic techniques, Asano was able to score the winning point for Japan.
Even though Germany made an all-out effort to take back the game, their efforts were in vain as Japan emerged as the clear winner of the match. Japan will face- team Costa Rica for their next and Germany will have their next game, which is crucial for their survival, against Spain.
The official Twitter account of the FIFA World Cup described the match with a caption that read ‘History being made in front of our very eyes.’ The defeat of Germany was something that the fans did not expect out of this match.
The game seems like a repeat of history for the Germans and their performance in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
During the 2018 math, Germany was the reining champions, with their fourth win at the World Cup. But the team did not do well right from the start of the tournament. Their first group match that year was with Mexico, where Germany was defeated.
In the following match, Germany was yet again defeated by South Korea which resulted in the group-stage exit of the team. Even though they were the reining champions that year, Germany did not make it past the first round.
The result of the match ignited a massive celebration among the Japanese fans and in their home coin try Japan too. After the first two matches, the 2022 World Cup does give a message to watch out for the underdogs and that the game of football is totally unpredictable.
The next match of Germany, which is scheduled against Spain will take place on November 28 and Japan’s next match which is against Costa Rica is scheduled on November 27.
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