FIFA World Cup Group E analysis: Japan stun world football; Germany get reality check

The script for Group E at 2022 FIFA World Cup has gone completely awry. And the party poopers are Japan’s national football team. FIFA World Cup:  Fixtures  |  Results  |  Points Table  |  Squads  |  Records With two former World Cup champions in the group — Germany and Spain — Japan and Costa Rica were expected to be mere participants. In the end, one of those participants became the winner as Japan defeated both Germany and Spain to storm into the last-16 after finishing top of Group E. Costa Rica, however, had no such fun as they finished bottom and also going back home are four time champions Germany. Clinical JapanThe most amazing fact about Japan’s campaign is that they lost to Costa Rica but defeated former champions Spain and Germany to clinch Group E. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Japan defeated Germany 2-1 with just 26.2 per cent possession, the then second lowest in tournament history for a winning team. Against Spain, in another 2-1 win , Japan registered the incredible with only 17.7 per cent possession, the lowest for a winning team in World Cup history.

Also, since 1966, there are only two instances of a team losing despite making 700+ passes in a World Cup game and both came against Japan in the 2022 edition.

There’s a pattern here for sure. Defend resolutely and take your chances when they come. In both their wins, the losing team had to pay the price for not taking their chances. Japan trailed in both games but their opponents failed to close the deal and were made to regret.

Japan also employed a high-pressing style that worked in unsettling both Spain and Germany and helped the Asian side create goal scoring opportunities. Japan’s progression to the Round of 16 also bolsters the case of Asian football . “For Asia and for Japan, our victories over Spain and Germany, two of the top teams in the world, is something that give us great confidence and we are very pleased,” said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu. “Of course, there are many things we still have to learn, but Asia can win in the world stage, Japan can win in the world stage.” Spain need to do more with the ball Spain weaved magic with the ball in their first game against Costa Rica and registered a thumping 7-0 win . They attempted a mind-boggling 1,043 passes, an all-time high for a World Cup game and completed 94 per cent of them. But that fluidity went missing in their next two games. Against Germany, in a game that ended 1-1 , Spain almost ended up paying for losing possession one too many times. Against Japan, it was the same story. Ritsu Doan’s goal in Japan’s 2-1 win came as a result of a loose ball which the Asian team pounced upon. For a team that is keeping so much possession, Spain would want to score more and close out games. Germany were in trouble from start The lack of a proper striker and the strategy to play with a false nine has not worked for Germany. It did not work in 2018 and it backfired again in 2022. Now, for two consecutive editions, Germany have failed to reach the last 16.

Also with a poor defensive unit, goal scoring was going to be even more important for them. In the last year, they had only managed clean sheets against Israel and Oman. Yet, coach Hansi Flick failed to solve the goal scoring issues and the team finally paid for it by getting eliminated. Flick persisted with Thomas Muller or Kai Havertz to do the goal scoring but there was a need for a proper striker. READ:  Germany’s group stage elimination ‘like a horror movie’, says Kai Havertz Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug, who scored the late equaliser against Spain, could have been the solution but he didn’t start a single game. They did find four goals against Costa Rica but by then it was too late. Costa Rica finished bottom with three points and they would be kicking themselves for not doing much in a group that swung wildly. With both Spain and Germany falling short in various departments, one more point for Costa Rica would have made things more interesting in the group but then again their 7-0 loss in the opener always had them hoping for the impossible. Read all the ** Latest News ****,** ** Trending News ****,** ** Cricket News ****,** ** Bollywood News ****,**  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on ** Facebook ****,**  Twitter  and ** Instagram ****.**