1 year ago
92 Japan celebrates during a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E lucifer against Germany astatine Khalifa International Stadium connected Nov. 23, 2022 successful Doha, Qatar.
Brad Smith | ISI Photos | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Japan stunned Germany with a precocious comeback successful their World Cup opener, with goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano seeing them triumph 2-1 astatine the Khalifa International Stadium.
Japan had ne'er antecedently beaten their European opponents, but they capitalized connected German errors and missed chances to unafraid a celebrated triumph successful the archetypal crippled of Group E.
Striker Thomas Muller said aft the game: "It is ludicrous that we are present with a defeat. We played a bully crippled implicit agelong periods of clip but a crippled is besides marked by the chances that you person into goals."
Japan had an aboriginal 'goal' from Daizen Maeda ruled retired for offside too, but Hansi Flick's broadside soon went up aft a clumsy situation from goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda connected David Raum gave them a punishment and Ilkay Gundogan slotted location from the spot (33).
Germany thought they had scored a 2nd astatine the extremity of the archetypal half, but Kai Havertz's onslaught was besides ruled retired for offside.
The four-time World Cup winners continued to spot chances travel and spell — Gundogan hitting the station connected the hr — earlier Japan utilized their lightning speedy onslaught to people doubly precocious on.
Did you know?
- Germany haven't mislaid a World Cup lucifer erstwhile starring astatine half-time since 1978.
Four minutes aft coming connected arsenic a substitute, Doan (75) turned location from adjacent scope aft a Manuel Neuer save. Germany were past caught retired with a shot implicit the top, allowing Asano (83) to smuggle the shot location connected a choky angle.
Ritsu Doan of Japan scores their 1st extremity during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E lucifer against Germany astatine Khalifa International Stadium connected Nov. 23, 2022 successful Doha, Qatar.
Marc Atkins | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Each Japan extremity was greeted with a squad bundle astatine the country flag, and determination were joyous celebrations astatine full-time. "It's a large surprise. We saw the Saudi triumph implicit Argentina – the Asian countries are reaching the planetary standard," Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said.
For Germany, their mediocre World Cup signifier continues, having finished bottommost of their radical astatine the 2018 tournament.
How Japan secured a celebrated victory
Japan started brightly and had the shot successful the nett wrong 7 minutes. Gundogan was muscled disconnected the shot successful midfield earlier Junya Ito drove down the close flank. Maeda past slotted location his cross, but helium was a gait offside.
Germany soon began to find their feet and had a drawstring of chances aft the 20-minute mark. Joshua Kimmich saw his effort from region palmed distant by Gonda earlier Gundogan skied the rebound. The Man City midfielder past saw an effort spell consecutive astatine Gonda, earlier different effort a infinitesimal aboriginal was well-blocked.
Big moments successful the game...
- 7th min: Maeda’s aboriginal extremity ruled retired for offside.
- 32nd min: Germany awarded punishment aft Gonda foul connected Raum, scored by Gundogan.
- 45+3 min: Havertz’s extremity besides ruled retired for offside.
- 61st min: Gundogan sees his effort deed the post.
- 75th min: Doan scores the equaliser for Japan soon aft coming connected arsenic a substitute.
- 83rd min: Asano scores the victor for Japan aft a agelong shot implicit the top.
But for each Gonda's bully enactment successful the opening fractional hour, his sloppy goalkeeping past gave Germany a punishment arsenic helium raced retired to conscionable Raum, tipping him implicit earlier catching the defender again and astir landing connected apical of him.
After having 2 earlier efforts blocked, Gundogan stepped up and expertly dispatched his spot-kick to spot the four-time World Cup winners successful front.
Germany past began to predominate and thought they had a 2nd successful the 3rd infinitesimal of 4 added connected astatine the extremity of the archetypal half. Havertz slotted location from a Serge Gnabry cross, but, aft a VAR check, the extremity was rightly ruled retired for offside.
Japan could person made the extremity of the archetypal fractional much absorbing still, but Maeda directed a header conscionable wide of the target.
Takuma Asano of Japan scores their team's 2nd extremity past Manuel Neuer of Germany during a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E lucifer astatine Khalifa International Stadium connected Nov. 23, 2022 successful Doha, Qatar.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
It was an end-to-end commencement to the 2nd half, and Gundogan should person added different connected the hour. The awesome Jamal Musiala drove down the near earlier mounting up the midfielder from 15 yards out. However, Gundogan's effort smashed disconnected the bottommost of the station and went wide. In the 70th minute, Gonda besides denied Jonas Hoffman and Gnabry successful speedy succession.
But the Japan comeback was connected the horizon, with Neuer's archetypal prevention of the crippled coming soon after, denying Asano. He made different superb halt during the build-up to Japan's equaliser too, getting a manus to Takumi Minamino's cut-back, but Doan was lurking wrong the country to slot location from adjacent range.
However, Neuer would person wanted to bash amended for Japan's winner. A agelong shot implicit the apical down the close picked retired Asano successful down the defence, with the guardant driving into the area. He held disconnected Nico Schlotterbeck earlier squeezing the shot past the goalkeeper and into the acold corner.
It was a frenzied extremity to the crippled arsenic Germany pushed for an equaliser. Leon Goretzka flashed a volley wide of the station arsenic Neuer came up to supply different assemblage successful the area, but it proved ineffective. Every clearance was celebrated similar a extremity by the Japan seat arsenic they held connected for a captious 3 points.
Germany screen mouths successful escaped code protestation earlier kick-off | Minister wears OneLove armband
Ahead of the kick-off, Germany players covered their mouths successful their squad representation successful an evident state of code protest.
It came aft a fig of European shot associations were threatened with FIFA sanctions if they wore a "OneLove" armband during the World Cup.
The DFB aboriginal tweeted astir the gesture, saying: "With our captain's armband, we wanted to acceptable an illustration for values that we unrecorded successful the nationalist team: diverseness and communal respect.
"Be large unneurotic with different nations. This is not astir a governmental message: quality rights are non-negotiable. That should spell without saying. But unluckily it inactive isn't. That is wherefore this connection is truthful important to us. Banning america from the bandage is similar banning our mouths. Our stance stands."
German Federal Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser also wore a OneLove armband astatine the lucifer pursuing FIFA threatening sporting sanctions for wearing the armband.
Flick and Neuer admit: We are nether pressure
Germany manager Hansi Flick:
"With this decision and zero points, we are nether pressure, nary question astir it. We tin lone blasted ourselves. It's a large disappointment.
"We were connected the close way successful the archetypal half, we had 78 per cent possession and were up 1-0. Then we had bully chances successful the 2nd fractional that we didn't instrumentality vantage of.
"Japan were simply much businesslike today. We made mistakes that we should ne'er perpetrate particularly successful a World Cup and those are the things that we request to amended on."
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer:
"I americium wholly frustrated and aggravated that we fto this crippled slip, it was not necessary. After the interruption we nary longer had this crippled travel and did not play with the aforesaid assurance arsenic successful the archetypal half.
"We are present nether unit from the start. That was besides the astir important crippled of however you commencement successful a tourney but we messed it up."
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu:
"We wanted to commencement playing aggressively, we wanted to predominate the game. But Germany are precise beardown truthful we needed to support persistently and instrumentality our chances.
"At the extremity they came astatine america with the afloat power, successful the past possibly we would person mislaid but the players person been playing successful Germany and Europe they've learned truthful overmuch from that, truthful we held on.
"United arsenic one, we needed to bent pugnacious until the last whistle went and we were capable to grasp our opportunity."
Pundits: 'A monolithic shock'
Sky Sports' Gary Neville connected ITV:
"Absolutely, I expected Germany to triumph that game. It's a monolithic shock. Japan are nary mugs but it conscionable shows that erstwhile you're not rather astatine it, you volition get a large surprise. What amazed maine with the 2nd extremity was that Manuel Neuer turned his assemblage to let the shot to spell past him.
"Usually, Neuer stands up beardown and is simply a superb goalkeeper. The effect volition nonstop shockwaves done the tournament."
Sky Sports' Graeme Souness connected ITV:
"It's an almighty blow. When you're a coach, and if you're the Spanish manager, the effect has successful portion filled his squad speech [against Costa Rica]. He'll beryllium reminding them they could gaffe up contiguous unless they're bang connected it."
Sky Sports' Roy Keane connected ITV:
"Of course, the effect hasn't conscionable travel retired of nowhere, but erstwhile you're playing Germany - we spoke astir them learning from the past mistakes of the past World Cup - you're 1-0 down.
"It's a agelong mode backmost and truthful the [Japan] manager deserves immense credit. He had to marque those changes and it was portion of his crippled program arsenic helium had to freshen things up.
"They were clinical. There were question marks astir Neuer for the 2nd goal, but you can't begrudge them their victory.
"There was ne'er immoderate uncertainty they would bring the spirit, combat and vigor to the party, but they've shown quality and large quality.
"Often, you spot substitutes who can't get up to velocity with the game, but each of them had an interaction to assistance their team-mates astir them. They each affected the game.
"They've lifted their country."
What does the effect mean?
After the opening 2 games of Group E, Germany beryllium 3rd after Spain bushed Costa Rica 7-0 later connected Wednesday. Japan beryllium 2nd down the 2010 winners.
Both teams play again connected Saturday arsenic Germany instrumentality connected Spain — which had been viewed arsenic a shootout for archetypal and 2nd spot successful the group, but could present spot Germany connected the verge of an exit if they suffer — portion Japan look Costa Rica.
In the last radical games connected Thursday, Dec. 1, Germany volition play Costa Rica portion Spain look Japan, who volition beryllium hoping to origin different upset against 1 of Europe's astir palmy sides.
Opta stats — Japan's historical win
- Japan came from down to triumph a World Cup lucifer for the precise archetypal time, having drawn 2 and mislaid 11 of their 13 matches erstwhile they had trailed earlier today.
- Having mislaid their opening crippled astatine conscionable 1 of their archetypal 18 World Cup tournaments (W13 D4), Germany person mislaid their archetypal crippled astatine each of the past 2 World Cups.
- Through Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano, Japan became the archetypal broadside to person 2 substitutes people successful a azygous World Cup crippled against Germany.
- Since 1966, lone Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi successful 2006 (10 vs Brazil) has made much saves successful a azygous World Cup crippled for Japan than the 8 Shuichi Gonda made today.
Player of the lucifer — Jamal Musiala
He whitethorn person been connected the losing team, but Germany's Musiala lit up the Khalifa International Stadium. He showed superb accomplishment throughout, peculiarly successful the 2nd fractional and is acceptable to person a breakout tourney successful Qatar.
