"Kubo was a monster": Japan's national team secures World Cup qualification in record time and for the 88th consecutive time - A thorough analysis of the AFC Asian Qualifiers match against Bahrain.

Japan is comfortably leading their group with 5 wins and 1 draw. A win would guarantee their 8th consecutive World Cup appearance, and even a draw could secure their qualification depending on the results of other matches. On this day, they made some changes to their lineup, including giving Bayern Munich defender Hiroki Ito his first appearance in the final qualifying round at left center back. Their opponent is Bahrain, currently 5th in the group. Can they maintain their momentum and secure their ticket to the big stage?

Japan unleashed a barrage of shots in the first half, shaking the back of the net, but...

In the 8th minute of the first half, Japan immediately created a chance. After winning a corner kick, they crossed the ball to defender Ko Itakura at the far post. Itakura headed the ball, and it went to midfielder Wataru Endo in front of the goal. With the goalkeeper out in front of him, he was completely free. He pushed the ball in with his right foot, and it seemed as though Japan had taken the lead. However, after Itakura's header, it was ruled a handball as the ball had hit the elbow of forward Ayase Ueda, who had gotten in between. The long-awaited opening goal was a phantom goal. Nevertheless, Japan did not let up on their attack. In the 40th minute, midfielder Takefusa Kubo received the ball at the halfway line and bravely dribbled through the opposing defenders. After drawing in a sufficient number of defenders, he passed the ball to midfielder Kaoru Mitoma, who had advanced up the left wing, and Mitoma immediately crossed the ball to forward Ueda, who was cutting into the goalmouth. Despite launching a quick attack, Ueda was ultimately unable to get a shot off due to the opposing defenders' strong defense, and the opening goal remained elusive.

Regarding this play, studio commentator Ryohei Hayashi gave it his seal of approval, calling it a great play. "He broke through two of the three blocks in the 4-4-2 formation by himself. It was a play where he created a 'distortion' in the opponent's defense. Kubo was brilliant here," he explained. In the first half, they had been struggling to break down the opponent's defensive formation, but he created a "distortion" in it, which led to the chance. The Japanese national team continued to attack until the end of added time, but they were unable to score, and the match moved on to the second half.

A key player who came on as a substitute brought momentum to Japan.

The evenly matched game continued into the second half. In the 61st minute, midfielders Takumi Minamino and Ritsu Doan were replaced by midfielders Junya Ito and Daichi Kamada. This substitution would change the course of the game. In the 65th minute, defender Hiroshi Ito passed the ball to forward Ueda near the center circle. Ueda, who had been waiting for the pass facing his own half, drew in two opposing defenders, and at the moment he received the ball, he changed direction towards the opponent's goal with lightning speed. He created a chance with a quick feint and passed the ball to midfielder Kubo, who was running towards the goal, in the perfect position in his direction of travel. Kubo, still at speed, played a vertical pass, which was met by midfielder Kamada, who had just entered the game. His shot sailed over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, giving Japan a genuine opening goal.

Studio commentator Hayashi said that the most important point of this play was the movement of midfielder Kamada when defender Ito Hiroshi passed the ball to forward Ueda. Looking back at the play, when defender Ito Hiroshi received the ball on the left side of his own half, midfielder Kamada and an opposing defender were positioned exactly in the middle between him and forward Ueda, who was waiting in the center circle. If things continued like this, the pass would not be made. Sensing this, midfielder Kamada deliberately advanced to the left, opening up the passing zone. Hayashi praised midfielder Kamada's wide vision and gave him the highest rating.

After fending off the opponent's attacks, Japan had a golden opportunity in the 86th minute. They won a corner kick and opted for a short one. The ball was passed back to midfielder Jun Ito, who took the kick, and Kubo unleashed a shot from the left side of the penalty area with a trajectory that looked like a cross. The opposing goalkeeper was unable to react, and the ball slammed into the side netting. This sealed the victory, and Japan won 2-0. They secured their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, the fastest in history.

From "Yabecchi Stadium" #195: World Cup Qualification Announced! Yabecchi, Kengo, and Hayashi interview players immediately after their national team match!
*The information in this article is current as of the time of publication.