Asian Cup 2019: Japan vs Oman- 3 Reasons Why the Blue Samurais Defeated Al-Ahmar

Japan pipped Oman 1-0 at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi in their Group F encounter of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Following this win, the Blue Samurais became the ninth team to qualify for the Round of 16 after Jordan, China PR, South Korea, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. Oman's hopes of qualifying for the next round hasn't been vanquished yet as they can get through as one of the four best third-placed teams.

According to the referee, Oman's Raed Saleh brought down Japan's Genki Haraguchi inside the penalty box in the 28th minute which the Hannover 96 player converted successfully. That goal was enough to inflict the Gulf side a loss, who otherwise produced a valiant effort to ensure the result goes in their favor.

Oman's goalkeeper Faiz Al-Rushaidi, in particular, was superb in between the sticks as he saved 7 shots on target. If it weren't for him, Japan could have thrashed them with a heavier scoreline.

Nevertheless, the contest was a close one, but these three reasons eluded Oman a victory and awarded Japan the three points.

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#3 Ritsu Doan's wonderful play on the right wing

Ritsu Doan wreaked havoc in the right wing

Japan's Ritsu Doan was the second youngest player on the pitch but showed the most maturity when the ball was on his feet. The fact that 46.3% of Japan's attacks came from the right wing speaks volumes of his ability as he was the commander-in-chief for that half of the pitch.

In the 2nd minute, he dribbled past the Omani left back and gave an incisive grounding pass towards Genki Haraguchi in the center of the box which hit the crossbar. In the 24th minute, he latched on a rebound after the goalkeeper saved Takumi Minamino's shot but it was blocked away by their center back.

Two minutes later, his incisive through ball sent Takumi Minamino one-on-one with the goalkeeper but, his effort was saved. Genki Haraguchi tried to capitalize on the rebound but a penalty was awarded to him after the referee deemed that he was brought down inside the penalty box.

#2 Japan slowing down the pace of the game in the second half

Japan didn't show any attacking impetus in the second half

Unlike the frenetic first half when both the sides fired all their cylinders in search of goals, the second half was a tepid one with Japan deciding to hold on to the ball and allowing Oman to come towards them.

The first shot at the game in the second half came in the 69th minute when Saad Al-Mukhaini's feeble shot from the outside of the penalty box was collected calmly by the Japanese goalkeeper.

The tempo did increase in the final ten minutes of the match as Japan's Ritsu Doan and Junya Ito hit the target. However, Oman's goalkeeper came to the rescue to deny them from scoring an insurance goal. Raed Saleh also failed to keep his shot on target, but other than that, there was no attacking impetus shown from both the sides.

#1 Vital referee decisions going against Oman

VAR could have swung the result in Oman's favor

The first half could have ended 1-0 in Oman's favor had it not been for Malaysian referee Mohd. Amirul Izwan's poor judgment.

The Omani players surrounded him when he awarded Japan a penalty in the 26th minute. To the naked eye and from the referee's angle, it looked as if Raed Saleh had brought down Genki Haraguchi outside the penalty box. However, the replays indicated that Saleh had kicked the ball in Haraguchi's legs and didn't make any contact at all.

In the dying embers of the first half, Raed Saleh's shot on goal was blocked by Yuto Nagatomo's hand but the referee didn't award a penalty as he deemed it to be in his natural position. However, the replays confirmed that his hand was moving away from the body.

While the commentators and fans have the leisure of watching replays, the referees do not. VAR will be implemented in the tournament from the quarter-finals but it might be too late for Oman who could have walked away with a victory.