Asian Cup 2015: Japan cruise past Palestine, Iraq squeeze past Jordan
UP for the Cup: Japan didn’t have to get out of second gear to thump Palestine, Iraq did it tough against Jordan and Cahill warns of complacency.
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JAPAN have kicked off their Asian Cup title defence with an easy 4-0 defeat of minnows Palestine in Newcastle, with Iraq claiming a narrow 1-0 victory over Jordan in Brisbane.
MATCH CENTRE: LIVE STATS AND VIDEO AS IT HAPPENS
MATCH REPORT: JAPAN CRUISE PAST PALESTINE
DEFENDING champions Japan thrashed Palestine 4-0 in their Asian Cup opener on Monday, giving them the perfect start in their quest for a fifth title.
Yasuhito Endo, making his 149th appearance for Japan, rifled a shot into the bottom corner, goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh going down in installments to gift the J-League player of the year his 15th international goal.
Shinji Okazaki, who has been in a rich vein of form for German club Mainz, scored with a poacher’s strike in the 25th minute, reacting with razor-sharp reflexes to head in a volley from Shinji Kagawa which looked to be fizzing wide.
Keisuke Honda, Japan’s bleach-blond cult hero, then stroked home a penalty just before half-time before defender Maya Yoshida nodded in a fourth.
MATCH REPORT: IRAQ EDGE OUT JORDAN
IRAQ’S bid to regain the Asian Cup has started on a winning but hardly convincing note, relying on a deflected goal to beat a plucky Jordan 1-0 at Brisbane Stadium.
It a mostly forgettable affair that seemed destined to finish in a stalemate, Iraq, the 2007 Asian Cup winners, finally scored the goal that their vocal fans craved for in the 79th minute through midfielder Yaser Kasim.
A club teammate at Swindon Town of Socceroos midfielder Massimo Luongo, Kasim was rewarded for an enterprising run into Jordan’s penalty area.
But he still required the aid of a deflection off Jordan defender Tareq Khattab for his shot to beat wrong-footed goalkeeper Amer Shafi.
SOCCEROOS WATCH
Cahill: ‘We can’t get carried away’
TIM Cahill warned in his exclusive column that the Socceroos - and new hero Massimo Luongo can’t afford to get complacent after one good result.
“It was a wonderful game from him against Kuwait. I was impressed because it was a match that somebody needed to take their opportunity to step up in, and Massimo stepped up.
“To top it off he’s a young player who is doing well in England and maybe isn’t getting a lot of accolades, but importantly he’s growing in stature in every camp he comes into.
But we need to ensure we don’t get carried away after one performance.”
Ange’s defence 10 yrs younger than Holger’s
IT was more proof of Ange Postecoglou’s preference for a line-up of youth, putting his trust in a defence with an average age of just 24 to open the Asian Cup on a momentous night for Australian football.
The back five selected to take on Kuwait last Friday night counted just 52 caps between them, as Trent Sainsbury took the centreback’s role alongside Matthew Spiranovic.
Compare that with Holger Osieck’s last competitive game in charge, the World Cup qualifier against Iraq in June 2013, where the back five’s average age was 34, and there is a decade’s worth of difference.
Confident Luongo aims for more goals
IT was a goal scored at the Asian Cup but partly forged at the World Cup — and now Massimo Luongo is eyeing a greater contribution to Australia’s cause.
Milligan to get nod to fill Jedinak breach
MILE Jedinak’s injury opens the door for Mark Milligan to improve on his unenviable record at major tournaments for Australia, with the Melbourne Victory captain expected to replace Jedinak in Tuesday night’s Asian Cup clash with Oman.
Socceroos can win title but Oman up for battle
OMAN coach Paul Le Guen insists the Socceroos won’t be weakened by the loss of their captain Mile Jedinak for Tuesday night’s match at Stadium Australia.
ASIAN CUP NEWS WRAP
This is brilliant.
Chinese keeper Wang Dalei asked 12-year-old the Suncorp Stadium ballboy which direction he should dive for a penalty against Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.
He chose correctly. The shot was saved. The ballboy is being hailed as a lucky charm across China.
Iraq skipper could be set for A-League move
Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud has revealed he is considering a career in the A-League, with Sydney FC seemingly the frontrunners to snare his services.
The 31-year-old striker, currently without a club, said Sydney’s Iraqi international Ali Abbas — who is missing the Asian Cup because of a season-ending knee injury — had spoken to him about a move to the Harbour City.
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TUESDAY PREVIEW
GROUP A
KUWAIT v SOUTH KOREA
6pm, GIO Stadium, Canberra
TAB odds: Kuwait $8, Draw $4.25, South Korea $1.40
THE PLOT
South Korea looked OK, without being commanding, in the 1-0 win over Oman in Canberra on Saturday. Still, a win here coupled with an Australian win or draw at ANZ Stadium would send the Taeguk Warriors in to the quarter-finals with a match to spare. The reverse is true for Kuwait, who needs a result here to keep its faint chances of progressing alive after being downed 4-1 by the Socceroos.
KEY PLAYERS
KUWAIT
Diminutive midfielder Abdulaziz Alenezi was impressive against the Socceroos, particularly in the first half when Kuwait had the better of te early stages.
SOUTH KOREA
Versatile attacker Son Heung-min is on the books of Bayer Leverkusen and will look to make a statement of intent here before things get really serious against Australia on Saturday.
Analysis by Matt Windley
Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: Japan cruise past Palestine, Iraq squeeze past Jordan
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