Japan and Iran meet in a quarter-final match that has generated much anticipation, with both teams possessing strong rosters that stand a good chance at reaching the finals.
Iran began their matchup against Saudi Arabia with Alireza Beiranvand, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Hossein Kanani, Ramin Rezaeian, Saeid Ezatolahi, Omid Ebrahimi and Sardar Azmoun (Roozbeh Cheshmi) starting for them. Karim Ansarifard also came into their starting lineup. In this article, we will discuss about the top matches of Iran National Football Team Vs Japan National Football Team Lineups.
Top 5 Matches of Iran vs Japan
Japan and Iran are two of the premier teams in Asia, but their encounter won’t be an easy one. Both squads possess impressive track records and are known for playing aggressive, physical football games – Japan has won two out of the past three meetings between these sides; Iran will aim to change that on Saturday when they face each other again.
Iran have an excellent chance at winning this match, but they must avoid mistakes. Iran should avoid allowing their opponent to score first and keep possession of the ball as much as possible while also avoiding free kicks in dangerous areas. While they have done well this tournament overall, improving their defense would be essential if they want to reach the final.
The FIFA World Cup is an international men’s football competition held every four years by member associations of FIFA. It is widely considered the pinnacle event in world football and most watched tournament. It offers prize money of $1,000,000 plus an unforgettable trophy; each of its 211 qualifying competitions gives each national team an equal opportunity to represent its nation at this global competition.
Both teams are in excellent form and eager to face off against one another in this crucial matchup. Iran are favorites to prevail here, though neither team should find this an easy game – Japan might have more overall talent but Iran are better equipped at handling pressure-filled games and should prevail here.
On Saturday at Qatar’s Education City Stadium in Doha, Iran defeated Japan 2-1 with Alireza Jahanbakhsh scoring a late penalty to claim their quarterfinal matchup 2-1. This marked their first win against them since 2004 and extended Amir Ghalenoei’s unbeaten run to 16 matches under Amir Ghalenoei as coach of Iran. Meanwhile Japan suffered their first knockout loss at this tournament out of eight appearances overall; both teams now share top positions of their groups with two wins and draws thus far in four matches played.
Ehsan Hajsafi
Ehsan Hajsafi of Iran has been in fine form recently and stands a good chance at becoming man-of-the-match against Japan on Tuesday. With a win under his belt, Team Melli could advance further towards reaching the semifinals.
Iranian national football team “Team Melli” takes its name from their use of Melli-e-Dam (bed soccer) during World Cup qualifying matches against England in 2010. This act of protest against the Iranian regime and demand of freedoms led them to face punishment from government, but they continued playing bed soccer despite threats and were eventually successful at beating England and winning their match! The Iranian government initially tried to stop their players, yet ultimately came through and helped win this match!
Japan will aim to maintain their dominance of Group B opponents and advance to the semi-finals, with two victories already out of two against them and scoring 12 goals thus far in this tournament. They must improve their defensive play against an Iran side that has proven very dangerous at finishing off chances.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has made only minor adjustments to his starting lineup ahead of their match with Japan on Tuesday night. Queiroz has shown faith in Sardar Azmoun who has been in fine form, as well as including striker Ali Jahanbakhsh who is key for Iran’s attack line. Earlier this week he confirmed a squad list for Turkije, but dropped midfielder Kaveh Rezaeian (now playing in Belgium’s league) and defender Jalal Hosseini due to injuries respectively.
Japan and Iran both stand a good chance of emerging triumphant from their quarter-final matchup, though Japan may hold the slight edge in terms of goal difference. Iran’s defense will prove difficult to breach. These teams have previously played very close encounters; one will surely hope for another close match-up come this Thursday evening’s quarter final clashes. Additionally, both teams possess strong records against one another at AFC Asian Cup events, so the victor will be determined by finishing ability – Ayase Ueda can expect big things while his Iranian opponents put him under immense pressure!
Saman Ghoddos
Iran overcame an initial slow start and produced an impressive second-half display to defeat Japan and advance to the Asian Cup semi-finals. Iran’s victory marked only their second over Japan since 1996 and keeps their hopes alive of winning their inaugural title alive; facing host Qatar in the last four.
On Saturday 3 February at 11:30 UTC, Education City Stadium in Doha will host this showdown between Qatar and USA – their head-to-head record currently stands at 6 wins and 6 draws between them.
Saman Ghoddos from Brentford midfielder has been one of the stars of this tournament so far, scoring against Qatar in Round 4. Japan will likely focus their defence around Ghoddos as he has the technical skill to score goals himself and create them, plus is an obvious threat from set pieces.
Iran were without suspended star striker Mehdi Taremi but still presented a serious threat, with Sardar Azmoun and Mohebi both missing early chances, while Alireza Beiranvand made a crucial save to keep Saeid Ezatolahi at bay from long range. Japan took the lead on 28 minutes when Morita juggled past Hossein Kanani before entering the area via an indirect route and shot weakly but somehow looped over goalkeeper Zion Suzuki into an indirect route before his shot looped into their goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and went straight in for an indirect approach before it looped back in to secure victory for Japan.
Ghoddos was born and raised in Malmo, Sweden despite having dual nationality as his parents hail from Ahvaz in south-west Iran. He played for Ostersunds before Amiens under Thomas Frank – but eventually found a more permanent home at Brentford this season, becoming an established midfielder who starts regularly as part of their starting eleven.
Ghoddos will look to make another impactful statement at Qatar and help Iran progress into the semi-finals of this tournament. His contributions to his nation and global audience were already evident; now it is his turn to represent them on an international stage! Ghoddos believes football brings people together.
Taremi
Iran and Japan will go down in history when they play each other this quarter final round. It marks the first time two top-ranked Asian teams are meeting since 1951 in this quarter final matchup – they are well matched on paper, making this matchup sure to be intense! Japan currently leads in standings with six wins and two losses while Iran sits third with four victories and two defeats. The winner will advance to semifinals.
Japan boasts a powerful squad, boasting players in Europe’s top leagues. Their depth and consistency has made them a formidable team to be reckoned with; not afraid to take risks or score goals against some of Asia’s best sides, Japan have shown that they can overcome even tough opponents through disciplined workrate and hard work ethic.
Both teams need to win this match-up in order to advance to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and make history. Both have equal odds at victory; it will ultimately come down to defensive strength and attacking talent that decides their success in this contest.
Taremi was instrumental in Iran’s Round 16 win against Syria at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. He scored the opening penalty to give them the edge they deserved and later contributed significantly in winning an important header, saving Aiham Ousou from scoring an equaliser.
At the close of the game, Karim Ansarifard caused another dramatic moment as he was given a yellow card for fouling a Syrian attacker inside Iran’s box and replaced by Karim Ansarifard who is sure to play an instrumental role in Iran’s journey toward reaching the semi-finals.
Taremi’s absence is a blow for Iran; he leads their team in scoring and without him it may prove challenging to beat Japan on Saturday. But Saeid Ezatolahi remains confident that Iran’s impressive performance against Syria and the penalties drama have strengthened their resolve ahead of Saturday’s game.
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