1-2!2-2!Asian Cup upsets are frequent: the top two East Asian teams have all overturned, 8 teams have qualified, and the national football team has conceded 0 goals
Before you know it, the group stage of the 2024 Asian Cup has reached the second round, and this round of matches has also become a round of frequent upsets, with the two favorites Japan and South Korea all overturning, which surprised fans. As for the Chinese men's football team that everyone cares about, although the national football team failed to win in the two rounds, the Chinese team has also become the only team that has not conceded a goal among the 24 participating teams in the entire Asian Cup, which can be regarded as one of the few bright spots!
Under the leadership of Serbian coach Jankovic, the new Chinese men's football team once again embarked on the journey of the Asian Cup. It's a pity that in the first two rounds of the group stage, facing the not too strong Tajikistan team and the Lebanese team, the Chinese team only won two draws, and the qualifying situation also took a sharp turn. In the final round, we have to beat the hosts Qatar to secure a ticket to the round of 16, and a draw or a loss depends on the face of others. The good news is that in the two games, the Chinese team did not concede a goal, at least the performance of the back line is still worthy of everyone's recognition.
The top favourites for the title, Japan, suffered an upset in the second round. Facing the West Asian powerhouse Iraq, I don't know if the Japanese team was slow or a little underweight, and their goal was lost twice in the first half, and they fell into an unfavorable situation of falling behind 0-2 early. In the rematch, the Japanese team could not find a good way to score against the Iraqi team, and it was not until injury time that they took advantage of a corner kick opportunity to close the difference. However, due to the lack of time left in the game, the Japanese team still could not save the defeat, and they finally lost to the Iraqi team 1-2, breaking the biggest upset since the start of the Asian Cup!
It seems that he doesn't want to see the Japanese team face the pressure of public opinion alone, and the South Korean team, which played next, also sent an upset. Facing a Jordan team that is far inferior to itself, the South Korean team also conceded two goals in the first half and fell behind 1-2 to the opponent. However, compared to Japan, the South Koreans at least avoided the embarrassment of losing the game, drawing 2-2 with Jordan in stoppage time thanks to an own goal from their opponents, but South Korea could only temporarily finish second in the group due to goal difference.
Since the four best groups in this Asian Cup can also break through, the team with 4 points will definitely be able to qualify. Therefore, as of now, at least 8 teams have advanced to the round of 16. The eight teams are Qatar, Australia, Uzbekistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and South Korea. If the top favourites continue to lose in the final round, they may even go home early after the group stage!
As for the Chinese team, what we have to do in the last round is to try to keep our golden body without conceding a goal, and then try to achieve a zero breakthrough on the offensive end as much as possible. Facing the Qatari team that has no desire to qualify in advance, I believe the Chinese men's football team should be able to do it!