WEST JAVA: The United Arab Emirates’ fitness and good fortune ran out as Japan struck late on Wednesday to book their place in the final of the Asian Games where they will meet South Korea on Saturday.
Japan’s 1-0 win at the Pakansari Stadium came against an uninspired UAE, whose Polish coach Macie Skorza conceded his side ultimately did not have the legs to grab victory after an exhausting week for his young side.
The UAE had reached the last-four only after their two previous knockout matches against hosts Indonesia and North Korea were taken to extra time and penalty shootouts. Skorza surprisingly made only one change to his starting XI, with Rashed Musabbah being drafted in to replace Shaheen Al-Darmki, and the lethargy was all too obvious to see.
“It was a very tough game,” said Skorza, who has been UAE U23 coach since March. “The Japanese are one of the best teams in the tournament and of course now I wish them all the best to win this tournament. We did not have enough power to win after our game against North Korea. It was very difficult to make a good recovery. We did not play in our way. We defended a lot and Japan were better. We fought and tried very hard to change this bad result, but we didn’t have enough power.”
A frustrating and forgettable opening period welcomed its first shot on target only in the 37th minute when Keita Endo broke down the right flank and crossed for Daizen Maeda, whose low, tame header was snuffed out by Mohamed Al-Shamsi. The only other effort on goal came five minutes later, Endo the source once more as he snuck in behind the Emirates defense and picked out Yuto Iwasaki, but the midfielder’s scuffed volley was saved comfortably.
Japan upped their tempo in the second half, Endo immediately cutting in from the left and firing into the side netting then Teruki Hara heading over from a corner. In the 65th minute, a lovely through-ball evaded a host of white shirts to land at the feet of Maeda, who looked certain to score. His low shot, however, rolled past the wrong side of the far post.
Japan celebrate the winning goal in the semifinal against the UAE in Indonesia.
“It was very tough game, but my players showed had work and didn’t give up,” said Hajjime Moriyasu, who also leads the Japanese senior national team. “We stayed concentrated, good defense allowed good attack and that led us to the goal.”
The ease with which the UAE defense had earlier been split should have prompted a tightening of the ranks, but instead it proved a harbinger of what was to come. In the 78th minute, Kouta Watanabe won the ball and scampered across the edge of the UAE penalty box, before dispatching a clever reverse pass that fed substitute Ayase Ueda clear on goal. He had time to pick his spot, firing a rising shot over Al-Shamsi and off the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net.
“We are always advised by the coach to go aggressive in the battle for the ball,” said Watanabe. “I didn’t know if the player was Ueda, but I saw the blue jersey and delivered it. Ueda did a great job to take his goal.”
Skorza’s side managed three shots on target in 90 minutes, without once forcing the Japanese goalkeeper to work. Striker Ali Al-Yahyaee cut a disappointed figure post-match. “We worked hard, but it was not enough,” he said. “We were looking forward to getting to the final, but it was not possible. We played 120 minutes for two games in a row, so this was hard. We did not have enough to win.”
The UAE will now face a bronze-medal match on Saturday against Vietnam, who lost 3-1 to South Korea earlier in the day.
“Of course, we are sad after this defeat because the final was so close,” said Skorza. “When we reach our hotel we will start thinking about the next game because our target was to achieve a medal and now we will play for third. It is very important for us and I’m sure the team will be ready.”
