Kubo Takefusa energizes his teammates at halftime.
Japan fell 1-2 to Iran in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup 2023 at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Japan scored first. In the 27th minute, Morita passed to Ueda on the left flank. Ueda fought off the defense and cut back to Morita. Morita’s touch on the ball was inaccurate, but he didn’t lose possession of the ball and beat his defender into the penalty box. As he fell inside the penalty box, he struck a right-footed shot. Morita’s shot was poorly placed, 카지노사이트 but it hit the goalkeeper’s foot and split the net.
Iran equalized. In the 10th minute of the second half, Iran pressed and Suzuki sent a long kick into the box, but the ball was cleared by Iran. Azmoun then played a through ball to Mohebi, who found space behind the defense. Mohebi equalized with a neat finish inside the penalty box.
Iran had the decisive chance. In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Tomiyasu and Itakura collided and Kanani won the ball but was tripped by Itakura’s foot. The referee awarded a penalty kick and Jahanbakhsh stepped up to take the spot kick. Jahanbakhsh converted with a powerful shot. The game ended in a 1-2 loss for Japan.
After the match, a video was released of Kubo giving his last-minute tactical instructions at halftime. “I’ll take the center, Ayase Ueda will take the left,” Kubo said. Japanese fans reacted to the video with comments such as “too direct”, “I can feel the mindset of a foreign player who communicates directly”, “I’ve never seen Kubo give direct instructions at halftime”, and “Kubo is scary”.
According to soccer stats outlet Sofa Score, Kubo played 67 minutes and had 48 touches of the ball, a 69% passing success rate (18 of 26 completed), 1 key pass, 1 cross (6 attempts), 1 chance created, 1 shot off target, 2 dribbles (2 attempts), and 7 ground battles (9 attempts). His rating was 7.1.
Kubo is one of Japan’s most promising players. Kubo was born in 2001, so he’s a young talent, but he’s had some early European experience. He played for Barcelona Youth and Real Madrid Castilla, among others. After failing to make an impact at Real, he was loaned out on loan, and last season he wore the Real Sociedad jersey. Kubo has become a key resource for Real Sociedad. Kubo was named Real Sociedad’s Player of the Year last season.
This season, he has continued his strong play, scoring six goals and providing four assists in 26 games. He was also named La Liga Player of the Month for September 2023. Kubo’s performances have kept Real Sociedad in good standing. They currently sit in sixth place in the league with 37 points and have won three games in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage, topping their group and reaching the round of 16. Real Sociedad will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).