The 18 World Cup Asian qualifiers have all been released, and 18 teams will fight for 8.5 World Cup places.
In the eyes of many, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia will be ironclad in qualifying. This is understandable, after all, these teams are outstanding and some of the best in Asia, and their participation in the World Cup finals has given them an edge in terms of both staffing and on-the-field experience.
But football is round, especially in the round of 18, everyone's strength is not far apart, maybe a few obstacles will emerge to disrupt their rhythm. There were times when these teams didn't play well, do you remember the moments when they were beaten up?
The Japanese team is the number one team in Asia, and they have many players playing in the European league, and they are strong. But there are times when such a strong team loses, and at the Asian Cup in Qatar at the beginning of this year, Japan was beaten 2-1 by Iraq in the group stage. It is worth mentioning that the Japanese team is worth 30 times that of Iraq, with a total value of 318 million euros, while the entire Iraqi team is worth 12.35 million euros. is such a strong team, which was pressed to the ground and rubbed by the Iraqi team with a strong style of play, and had no power to fight back.
Iran is a traditional Asian powerhouse, they play with a strong style of play and strong impact, and are known as the Persian Iron Horsemen. is such a strong team, and there are times when it can't be eaten in Asia. In this year's Asian Cup, in the semi-finals, Iran was defeated by Qatar with a score of 2-3 and unfortunately missed the final. Therefore, in the round of 18, no one can win 100%.
The third South Korean team in Asia, they have many good players such as Son Heung-min, Lee Gang-in, Hwang Hee-chan and so on. But such a powerful team also has times when it is beaten wildly. At this year's Asian Cup, South Korea were eliminated by Jordan in the semi-finals with a score of 0-2. In the face of the dark horse Jordan team, the South Korean team seemed powerless, unable to attack and defend, and did not show its due strength at all.
The Australian Kangaroos and Saudi Arabia have also been defeated by other Asian teams, so there is no absolute strong player or absolute weak player at the Asian level. Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and other teams have a certain strength to defeat Japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other strong teams, and the national football team is also preparing to go, and it is also very likely to play the role of a roadblock.