Japan defeats Vietnam 4-2 after spectacular score chase
VOV.VN - Asian powerhouse Japan had a good start in their opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup as they defeated Vietnam 4-2 in a thrilling match on January 14 in Qatar.
Japan is targeting their fifth Asian title and initially seemed to have a comfortable start when Takumi Minamino scored in the 11th minute.
However, Vietnam turned the game around with two goals in the first half. But Japan fought back before halftime, with Minamino securing his second goal and Keito Nakamura making every sustained effort to give them the lead.
Notably, the Vietnamese squad made history with 2 goals from Dinh Bac and Tuan Hai against Japan for the first time in official tournaments.
The second half was relatively calm until substitute Ayase Ueda notched up the victory for Japan with a fourth goal in the 86th minute.
Despite being lost, head coach Philippe Troussier still expressed satisfaction with his Vietnamese players after their first match in the Asian Cup's Group D opener, adding that what the Southeast Asian representative showed against the reigning runner-up was very good.
He affirmed that Vietnam is aiming to win tickets to the next round, therefore, the match with Japan is only one of the three matches in Group D that his team has to go through.
Japan and Vietnam previously faced each other in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, with Japan winning 1-0 before losing to Qatar in the final.
