On the evening of March 29, Beijing time, the final round of the Asian Top 12 began, with Japan, which temporarily ranked first in Group B, at home to Vietnam, which was at the bottom of the group. As a result, after 90 minutes of fighting, the Japanese team was tied 1-1 by the opponent in the case of full siege. Despite the upset, the Japanese team still played the strongest defense in Group B, conceding only 4 goals in 10 games, making them the best defensive team in the group.
In this World Preliminary Tournament, the Japanese team started slowly and warmly, losing 2 of the first 3 matches. Just when many fans thought that Japan would suffer a world cup exit, Mori Baoichi led the team to a wave of 6 consecutive wins. It is worth mentioning that during the six-game winning streak, although the Japanese team did not win much, it only conceded 1 goal. Strengthened the first 3 games of the opening 2 goals conceded, Japan also conceded 3 goals in the first 9 rounds.
To be able to rise to the top of the list step by step, the Japanese team relies on their strong defensive ability. Before this tournament against Vietnam, the Japanese team also hopes to end the round of 12 with a big victory. But unexpectedly, the Vietnamese team successfully broke through the wilderness in the first half and broke through the door of the Japanese team. In this regard, in this round of 12, there are already 4 teams that have broken through the door of the Japanese team, namely Saudi Arabia, Australia, Oman and Vietnam. Among the 5 opponents in the group, only the national football team failed to take advantage, and the 2 rounds were eaten with a clean sheet, losing 0-1 and 0-2 respectively.
It was broken by 4 opponents in the group, which also reflected the japanese team's defensive loopholes to some extent. In view of such a situation, head coach Moriho must pay attention to it, otherwise in the main match of the World Cup, the Japanese team will definitely pay a price for its own defense.
For Vietnam, being able to draw a 1-1 draw with a powerful Japan is already another milestone in the history of national football. Although Vietnam's final 12 matches are ultimately out of the bottom, the next World Cup, maybe they can create better results.
Before the author's deadline, the rest of the final round of the Round of 12 was not over. Once South Korea scored 2 goals by the UAE in the final round, Japan would become the strongest defensive team in this Round of 12 (alongside South Korea). For the Southeast Twins, this is indeed a proud moment.
In contrast, the national football team's trip to the top 12 is still bitter. The national team has conceded 17 goals before the start of the game, and if we were scored 2 goals against Oman, it would be possible to be tied with Vietnam as the worst defensive team in the round of 12. After the end of the Japanese team, the national football team's ranking in the top 12 has been determined to be the 5th in the group, which is the same as the position in 2018. However, 4 years have passed, and the national football team has stood still, and the score has been reduced by half.