The new landscape of Asian football? The top 18 of the World Preliminary Tournament continued to cause upsets
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The national football team has finally won! On the evening of November 16, in the fourth round of the World Cup qualifiers Asian round of 18, the Chinese team defeated Indonesia 2-1 and won the first group victory
This victory was not easy to come by, and the national football fans finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, if you look at the game data, we really can't be too happy.
The national football team struggled to win, and the data is worrying
To be honest, I was thrilled to watch this game. Although they won in the end, the performance of the national football team really made people sweat.
The possession rate of the Chinese team in the whole game was only 24%, which is too low!
Even the number of shots on goal was a measly five, but fortunately there were three shots on target.
On the other hand, the Indonesian team had 76% possession and 17 shots on goal, almost turning the tables.
The national football team's competition is simply playing with defense and sneak attack. In the first half, Wu Lei seized the opportunity to score a goal, and in the second half, Dai Weijun scored another goal, and the 2-0 lead looked very stable.
Who knew that the Indonesian team pulled one back in the 85th minute, and I was so scared that I broke into a cold sweat. In the last few minutes, I stayed up until the final whistle blew, and this was the three points.
After the game, some fans ridiculed on the Internet: "The national football team is playing 'anti-football'!" "
Indeed, judging from this data, the national football team plays a bit like the previous Greece team, that is, the iron bucket formation defense plus sneak attack. Although he won, how far can this style of play really go?
The performance of Japan and South Korea is very different, who is the first brother in Asia?
Look at our neighbors island nation team and Korea team. The island nation team overturned this time, and was forced to draw 1-1 by Australia, and the overall victory record was annulled.
The island team had 65% possession and 12 shots on goal in this game, so why couldn't they score goals? It seems that no matter how good the technology is, you must have the ability to seize the opportunity.
On the other hand, Korea narrowly defeated Iraq 3-2 and won three consecutive victories.
What's even worse is that their star Son Xingmin didn't play in this game! I didn't expect the Korea team to be so strong that it could still win without core players.
However, Korea also almost overturned in this game, leading 2-0 in the first half, being chased twice in the second half, and finally relying on Hwang Hee-chan's goal to kill the opponent.
After watching the performances of the Japanese and South Korean teams, I couldn't help but fall into deep thought: who is the big brother of Asian football?
With the technical skills of the island nation team and the balanced strength of the Korea team, who of the two teams is more likely to perform well in next year's World Cup?
Dark horses are frequent, and the pattern of Asian football is changing?
There were also two unexpected results in this round. Uzbekistan beat 10-man U.A.E. 1-0 and Kyrgyzstan beat North Korea 1-0.
Does the rise of these two Central Asian teams indicate that the Asian football landscape is quietly changing?
Uzbekistan can be said to have the advantage in this game. They had 60% possession and 24 shots on goal!
Although only one goal was scored in the end, it was enough to win the game. You know, the U.A.E. is the host of the 2019 Asian Cup, and its strength should not be underestimated.
Uzbekistan can win this game, which is really impressive.
Kyrgyzstan's victory was even more surprising. With just 39 per cent possession, they stubbornly held the back of the net and took the opportunity to score a goal. The resilience and tenacity of this team is really commendable.
Seeing the rise of these "dark horse" teams, I can't help but think: Is the gap in the strength of Asian football narrowing?
Teams that were previously considered "belly of the fish" can now perform well in major tournaments as well. This should be good news for the overall development of Asian football, right?
What is the fairness of football?
When it comes to the match between Uzbekistan and U.A.E., there is another topic that has to be mentioned: controversial decisions.
During the match, a U.A.E. player was sent off for a foul. The sentence sparked a lot of controversy, with some arguing that it was too harsh.
I checked the information and found that this is not the first time that a similar controversy has arisen.
In this year's Asian Cup qualifiers, there were several games that caused controversy over penalty issues.
This makes me wonder: how can absolute fairness be guaranteed in football?
Referees are also human beings, and it is inevitable that there will be mistakes. But in such an important game, a single penalty can make all the difference in a team's fortunes.
Perhaps, the introduction of more technology, such as VAR (Video Assistant Referee), could reduce controversy to some extent. But will this affect the flow of the game?
What is the future of Asian football?
Looking back on the results of this round of the World Preliminary Tournament, I can't help but think more about the future of Asian football.
Although the national football team won, the performance was not satisfactory. The island nation team unexpectedly overturned, and the Korea team narrowly defeated the opponent. The rise of Central Asian teams has brought new variables to Asian football.
How should football teams in Asian countries respond in this situation? Will you continue to stick to your traditional style of play, or will you keep up with the times and learn new tactics and techniques?
In the face of increasingly fierce competition, how to maintain its own characteristics while continuously improving the level of competition?
I am afraid that the answers to these questions will not be found in a moment and a half. But one thing is certain: Asian football is going through a period of change.
Whether it is a traditional strong team or an emerging force, it needs to constantly adjust and improve in order to take the lead in future competitions.
As a fan, I really hope that Asian football can get better and better. No matter which country's team can perform well on the World Cup stage, it is a testament to the overall strength of Asian football.
Let's look forward to the next round of matches and see how the story of Asian football will continue to develop.