By
Fawaz Adebisi
Japan has punished Germany with a two to one goals in their World Cup opener, beating the four-time champions as they failed to take their chances in the first half.
Japan, on Wednesday, in their first half was dominated by Germany, as they came back with fire in the second half.
The match between Germany and Japan was played at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, on November 23, 2022.
However, the German team were seen to have covered their mouths for the team photo, before the match took place, in a powerful protest against FIFA’s decision to ban rainbow-themed armbands.
Germany therefore came to Qatar under huge pressure to avoid the disaster of 2018, when they failed to make it out of the group stage in Russia as World Cup holders.
Germany took the lead through a first-half penalty from Ilkay Gundogan, as Takuma Asano completed a remarkable turnaround eight minutes later, smashing the ball home to send the Japanese bench and their boisterous fans wild.
According to Hajime Moriyasu, Japan Mamager, “The players came together as one team, we prepared well and we stuck in there, and that’s what led to the win.”
He said, “Lots of our fans have come to Doha and they were behind us pushing us on. I want us to keep a level head after this and look at what we could have done better and look to win the next match.”
Germany’s World Cup future is, therefore, now once again on the line, with games to come in Group E against Spain and Costa Rica.
“We made it too easy for Japan. I don’t know if an easier goal has ever been scored at a World Cup,” Gundogan told Germany’s ARD TV network, stressing that, “this must not happen to us.”
Thomas Mueller told Germany’s Magenta TV it was “ludicrous that we are now standing here with a defeat.”
Japan meanwhile are eyeing a place in the knockout round after a dramatic comeback that scarcely looked possible at half-time.
