Asian Cup Matchday Review (Quarter-Finals)

We’re through to the finer end of things as we set up for the Asian Cup semi-finals that will take place on Monday and Tuesday. While Iran shone with a stunning attacking performance over China, the round was defined by some solid and tactically aware defensive performances from Japan and tournament dark horses Qatar. With so much still to unbox (not to mention the introduction of VAR into international Asian football), let’s start with looking back at the key talking points from the quarter finals.

The Player

While Japan’s attacking intensity has noticeably eased off this tournament, victory over Vietnam saw an element of hope that a return to the positive ways of old is on the horizon. The lack of a classic number 10 has been sorely missed in this Samurai Blue side; the semi-retirement of Keisuke Honda, and lack of form of Shinji Kagawa was eased by the emergence of Shoya Nakajima late last year, but injury put pay to that plan on the eve of the tournament. Filling the void hasn’t been easy, but Ritsu Doan’s performances of late suggest all is not lost for Hajime Moriyasu.

The Groningen man has had an up and down tournament, largely excusable given his age (not 21 until the summer), inexperience (still less than 10 caps) and the deep tactical shape infringed on the squad by Moriyasu. However, with Japan afforded more possession against Vietnam, Doan took on more responsibility, drifting in from the right to initiate build-up with Minamino and Kitagawa (who have rarely looked up to this level), Doan forced notable openings early on, and represented the only source at times Japan had of forcing a breakthrough against a well organised Vietnamese defence, and when breached, a commanding Dang Van Lam in net.

The key moment came, as Doan showed his inventiveness and wiliness to take on his marker, drawing the first VAR penalty awarded at the tournament. Whether there was contact or not (see my opinions on Twitter), the impact was telling and Doan’s responsibility to take the resulting penalty kick (despite Haraguchi’s success last week) illustrates how much his reputation has grown within this team. With Iran ahead of them, in decent form both in attacking areas and in defence, Moriyasu’s tactical expertise will be tested to another level. One thing’s for sure, after this performance Doan’s involvement will be integral going forward.

The Team

The third quarter final between South Korea and Qatar was always likely to be the match to swing a tournament on; the favourites for some (myself included) against the outsiders, this was the true test of both sides mettle. Qatar’s triumph with a late winner, backed up with a fifth consecutive clean sheet has sent waves across Asian football. The side that was only supposed to come to the table in four years’ time at their own controversial hosting of the World Cup, is turning the tables on some of Asia’s elite from the outset.

There was plenty eulogised about Qatar on the build up to the Korea matchup, many suggested they’d test their opponents back line early, that the match would be a much more open showing than we’ve seen so far this tournament. Instead, we witnessed a cagey first half, where Korea dominated possession and Qatar comfortably sat deep, happy to sniff out chances when they came and not to concern themselves too much if their counters broke down quickly. A maturity we’d hardly expect from a fledgling outfit, but there was more to come.

In the second period they burst out, pouncing on weakness and setting the Koreans back on their heels. No one expected anything from Qatar, the pressure was on Korea, with the returning Son Heung-min looking a weary figure under the weight of a nation. In truth Korea looked the side happy with extra time, and with that Qatar pounced. A quick, direct shot from distance from the unlikely source of Abdulaziz Hatem had them caught cold, in which they had little answer to.

Some have already sought to compare this Qatar team to the UAE side of four years ago. And while this is a similar shakeup to the elite order in Asian football, UAE were carried along by individual performances that have rarely been bettered. This Qatar team are exactly the opposite, in that they are a team, headed by a tactically aware coach that has set his stall out to perform. This is just the beginning, 2022 seems an awfully long way away at this point, but an Asian Cup final appearance could well set this side up for a great future.

The Talking Point

Thursday’s quarter-final defeat to Iran brought to close China’s Asian Cup adventure, but also the career of a true managerial great in Marcello Lippi, who is set to retire with a glittering CV that includes a World Cup and two continental club titles. Lippi’s time in charge of China however has been a head-scratcher; on one hand – China made it to the quarter-finals of a continental showpiece, further than anyone had expected pre-tournament, on the other - we’re left questioning how much further has he taken this team and football as a whole in the country?

Lippi arrived to save face, after a miserable start to latter World Cup qualification. Expectations were modest, focus was clear – redevelop this squad ahead of the Asian Cup and bring back some pride in the national team ahead of another World Cup cycle. What came to pass was a meagre reconstruction job, patching up holes where possible but no long-term fixes to China’s quite obvious issues. Lippi predictably relied upon the old guard that brought him success while at Guangzhou Evergrande, selecting the oldest squad at the tournament, captained by 38-year-old Zheng Zhi. He’s hardly leaving his successor with any resources to progress forward with.

The CFA and CSL have emphatically pushed their agenda of late, to increase youth participation in domestic football and upped the amount of national youth camps but stopped short of pushing this on the national team. The few players under-25 that did gain minutes at the Asian Cup were borne out of necessity rather than being chosen on merit. Their success on an individual tournament basis is also misleading given they struggled in overcoming Kyrgyzstan before losing connivingly to Korea in the group stage, ahead of narrowly beating Thailand in the knockouts. Thursday’s humiliation in a defensive capacity against Iran was a heavy blow, that in all reality had been in the pipeline for weeks. China are left with a moderately successful campaign on paper, but with plenty to do in reality if they are to see any noticeable uplift going forward.