A new page of history has already been written. In the 92-year history, Qatar is the first Asian team to reach the last sixteen in the World Cup. One of those three teams, Australia's World Cup, ended yesterday. Socceroo lost to Lionel Messi's Argentina. The burden of carrying the flag of Asia in the World Cup is now on the shoulders of the two superpowers of Asian football, Japan and South Korea.
Both these Far East teams are entering the field today. Japan's opponent is last time's runner-up Croatia at nine o'clock Bangladesh time. South Korea will take on five-time champions Brazil at one o'clock in the morning. What new history will be written in Asian football, or will the journey of Asians in the Asian World Cup end today?
Asia's highest finish in the World Cup was fourth. South Korea, the co-host of the World Cup, achieved that feat in the 2002 World Cup. Today at Stadium 974 in Doha, that Korean test is the big one. Neymar's Brazil ahead. Heung-min Son's hand to change history in front of South Korea. The history is Brazil's record against Asian teams in the World Cup. The Brazilians have never lost against any Asian team. However, such an unbeaten record of Brazil was also against African teams. Tit's team has achieved that enviable record by coming to the World Cup in Qatar. Brazil will enter the field today with fresh wounds from the loss of the last match of the group stage to Cameroon.
Asian teams have reached the World Cup quarter-finals only twice. North Korea for the first time in 1966. England went 3-0 up against Portugal in the last eight of that World Cup, but the North Koreans eventually lost. How did North Korea lose that day at the feast of a football wizard named Eusebio? Mozambican-born Eusebio won the Portuguese 5-3 by scoring four goals each. After 36 years the South surpassed the success of the North.
The Japanese, however, never broke through in the second round. After reaching the second round of the 2002 World Cup on home soil, Russia also reached the last sixteen at the 2018 World Cup. Despite leading 2-0, the Japanese lost to Belgium.
What will happen now, will Japan be able to bury Rostov's nightmare in Al Wakrah's Al Janub Stadium? Fans can expect that from the team's performance in the group stage. Who would have thought that Japan would be the group champion, leaving two former world champions behind in 'E' group. Japan, who opened their World Cup campaign by defeating four-time champions Germany, also defeated 2010 champions Spain in their last match. Compared to Spain-Germany, today's opponent Croatia is surprisingly far behind. But the fear is that, despite losing two champions, the Japanese lost to a 'weak' team like Costa Rica.
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