2024-03-21 13:26:07
Tokyo (AFP) – The Syrian national team fell into the trap of a disappointing draw once morest its host, Myanmar, 1-1, while Japan came close to qualifying for the third round of the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup in football, following a third successive victory at the expense of its host. North Korea 1-0 Thursday in Tokyo.
Published on: 03/21/2024 – 14:26 Last updated: 03/21/2024 – 14:53
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In the first match, the Syrian team gave up three points that were supposed to be within reach and settled for a draw once morest Myanmar. The Syrian team fell behind with a goal by Su Mo Kyaw (35), before the response came relatively late through substitute Alaa Al-Dali (71).
“The Samurai” strengthened its position at the top of the standings of Group Two with nine points, five points behind Syria in second place and six ahead of North Korea in third place, while Myanmar, the latter, scored its first points.
Syria fell to Japan in the second round 0-5, following it had defeated North Korea 1-0 in the first round.
The absence of striker Omar Al-Somah continued once more from the Syrian national team squad, which was summoned by Argentine coach Hector Cuper for this window.
Al-Somah (34 years old), the all-time top scorer in the Saudi League and the current player with the Qatari Al-Arabi Club, was excluded from the “Nusour Qasioun” team, which reached the 16th final of the last Asian Cup in Qatar when it lost to Iran on penalties.
Despite his expression of his desire to return from retirement following his exclusion, Al-Somah’s name (21 goals in 40 international matches) was not included in a list of 24 players summoned by the veteran Argentine coach.
Syria will play once morest Myanmar once more in the fourth round on its virtual home ground in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.
In the second, Ao Tanaka scored the only goal of the match in the second minute of the match.
Tanaka, a professional with Fortuna Dusseldorf of the German second division, said, “It was a difficult match, and I think we made it difficult for ourselves. But winning is what is most important in the end.”
Coach Hajime Moriyasu defended the performance of his players, “We showed determination until the end despite the difficult circumstances. We achieved victory today because our players met expectations.”
The victory of the Japanese team was not very convincing, but it brought them back to winning ways following a disappointing participation in the Asian Cup, which was recently held in Qatar, when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Iran 1-2.
The two countries will face off once more in the return match on Tuesday in Pyongyang, the first match for the Japanese in North Korea since 2011.
But the Japanese Kyodo agency indicated on Thursday that North Korea would not allow the match to be held on its soil due to concerns regarding the outbreak of a bacterial infection in Japan.
The Japanese national team will be absent from this window, Brighton’s English winger Kaoru Mitoma and Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu due to injury, in addition to winger Junya Ito.
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