In the 2022 Qatar Fifa World Cup Asian Qualifiers, the Chinese team was in the same group as Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Vietnam. What has been the state of these 5 opponents in recent years?
Japan is ranked 23rd in the world and 1st in Asia
Top 40 record: 8 wins, 46 goals scored and 2 goals conceded
The strength of the Japanese team is obvious to all in Asia, with excellent technology and high overall technical and tactical literacy. Many of the players played in Europe, and many names are familiar to Chinese fans: Kamada Daichi, Takumi Minamino, Ken Endo, Ōto, Hisahito and so on. At present, Kamada Daichi, who plays for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, is worth more than 20 million euros, and TakuMino, who was loaned by Liverpool to Southampton, is worth 12 million euros.
The national football team's record of the last 10 matches with the Japanese team is 4 draws and 6 losses, and there is no victory. The last time the national football team played against Japan was in the 2019 East Asian Cup, when the national football team lost 1:2. Of course, in this game, the national football team sent a "selection team", and the Japanese team was not the main player, which was not of great reference significance. However, in the game, the Japanese team still showed a significantly higher strength than the national football team. If you go back further, the last time the two teams met in a major event, it has been seventeen years, in the 2004 Asian Cup final, the national football team lost 1:3 to Japan, Li Ming scored, and the Japanese team Nakata Hiroshi scored a second-hand goal.
Japanese coach Moriho said of the group: "I am ready to fight for Japan and we are eager to get a higher ranking to reach the World Cup finals. The selection of players is difficult, but we will assemble the best team to face the game. We take every game seriously and most importantly prepare for the upcoming games to challenge the victory and hopefully the players will be able to play to their level. I think every opponent is strong, so we have to fight as hard as we can. ”
Australia is ranked 37th in the world and 3rd in Asia
Top 40 record: 8 wins, 28 goals scored and 2 goals conceded
Relatively speaking, the current strength of the Australian team is not as good as in previous years, and there are not many players playing in the five major leagues. However, the Australian team still has many impressive players, such as goalkeeper Matthew Ryan playing for Brighton in the Premier League, and Mui, who currently plays for Shanghai Harbor (who did not participate in the second half of the Round of 40), has performed very well in the Chinese Super League, and the defender Sainsbury, who has played for Jiangsu, has been the backbone of Australia's defense. Overall, Australia is strong and strong, and its playing style is mainly based on holding high.
The national football team has played against Australia in the last 5 times with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, and the last time the national football team played against Australia was in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Asian Cup. Australia, as host, defeated the three-game winning national team in the group stage 2-0. That said, the two teams have not played each other for 6 years.
Australia boss Graham Arnold said of the grouping: "Both groups are strong, but all we can do is focus on ourselves and make sure we are ready to face any opponent. I think this grouping is a testament to the fact that the team needs a lot of squad depth. We've learned a lot in the Round of 40, seven of our 8 games have been played away, but we've won all of them, which gives the players a lot of confidence. ”
Saudi Arabia is ranked 60th in the world and 6th in Asia
Top 40 record: 8 wins, 6 wins, 2 draws, 22 goals scored and 4 goals conceded
Saudi Arabia is a regular in the World Cup, but apart from the excellent performance of the 1994 World Cup, the rest of the time is basically reduced to a fish belly. However, the Saudi team has always been one of the traditional strong teams in Asia, with delicate technology. Today, all the players of this Saudi team play in the domestic league, and there are no big players like The yaya and Ovilam in the past. After the 2018 World Cup, the Saudi team began to alternate between the old and the new.
The national football team has a record of 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses in the last five matches with Saudi Arabia, and the most recent time the national football team played against Saudi Arabia was in the group stage of the 2015 Asian Cup, when the national football team won 1:0 against the opponent. Wang Dalei saved the opponent's penalty, and the national football team relied on Yu Hai's free kick to refract the goal. The two teams have not played each other for 6 years, but the 1/8 final of the 2018 Asian Games (U23 team participating) can actually provide some kind of reference: the Saudi team with the high efficiency of counterattack once led 4:0, and in the case of the victory and defeat is basically determined, Yao Junsheng, Huang Zichang and Wei Shihao scored three goals in a row, and the final score was 4:3 for the Saudi team China.
Saudi coach Renard said of the group: "Both groups are difficult, but if you want to qualify for the World Cup, you have to face such a price. We must be ready and passionately strive for the best possible outcome for us. ”
Oman is ranked 80th in the world and 10th in Asia
Top 40 record: 8-6 wins, 2 losses, scoring 16 goals and conceding 6 goals
Oman has never been a West Asian powerhouse, and the team remains relatively mysterious. But Oman's current coach, Croat Ivankovic, is an old acquaintance of Chinese football, having led Shandong Luneng to the Chinese Super League title in 2006. He still has a certain understanding of Chinese football, which deserves the attention of the national football team; but objectively speaking, after more than ten years have passed, the situation of Chinese football has changed greatly.
The national football team and Oman have played each other 5 times, and the national football team has won 3 and lost 2. The most recent time the national football team played Oman was in a friendly match in 2013, when the national football team lost 0:1. The most recent official match was the familiar 2001 Top 10, when the national football team won 1:0 against Oman with Yu Genwei's goal and advanced to the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
Oman coach Ivankovic said of the group: "Both groups are difficult, try to compare Japan and Iran, Australia and South Korea, they are all the top teams in Asia, they are all the same for us. The most important thing is that we unite and play 10 good games against strong teams and let the players show that they can play against any opponent. Everything is possible. ”
Vietnam is ranked 92nd in the world and 13th in Asia
Top 40 record: 8 wins, 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, scoring 13 goals and conceding 5 goals
Vietnam is one of the fastest-improving teams in Asia in recent years, combining their own characteristics to carry forward the "Little Quick" style, in 2019, they broke into the top 8 of the Asian Cup; in 2018, in the U23 Asian Cup, Vietnam won the runner-up.
The national football team and the Vietnamese team have maintained a total victory in 9 historical meetings. The last time the national football team played Against Vietnam was in a friendly match in 2012, when the national football team won 3:0. The two teams have not played each other in 9 years. The most recent official match was in an Asian Cup qualifier in 2010, when the national football team defeated Vietnam 2:1. Therefore, in the face of Vietnam, an opponent that has made rapid progress in recent years, the national football team has no experience to learn from intuitively. However, from the perspective of the outsiders, in the life-and-death battle between the UAE and Vietnam in the top 40 matches, the Vietnamese team still reflected the lack of confidence in fighting a hard battle, they once fell behind 0:3, and finally could only hand over the fate of qualifying to others.
Vietnamese coach Park Huan-suk on grouping: "In Group B, all the teams are stronger than us. With a humble heart and a spirit of challenge, we will do our best to prepare for the battle. ”
Yangzi Evening News/Purple Cow News reporter Zhang Chenyao Sun Yunyue Zhang Hao
Source: Purple Cow News