KAZAN, Russia July 03 (Reuters): South Korea hammered the Germans, and Japan very nearly did the same to Belgium, but Asia's representatives are once again heading home before the business end of the World Cup gets going.
The Samurai Blue looked like providing the biggest shock yet of a tournament riddled with upsets when they led the richly talented Belgians 2-0 with half an hour to play on Monday, only to lose 3-2 in the last minute of stoppage time. Understandably, the Japanese were shattered by the end to their dream of reaching the last eight for the first time and becoming Asia's first World Cup quarter-finalists since the continent hosted the tournament in 2002.
"This is football. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but a result that we have to accept," Shinji Kagawa said.
It is a wall that Asian teams have managed to scale only twice: when South Korea reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2002, and their cousins in the North got to the last eight at the 1966 World Cup in England.
A contingent of five Asian countries competed in Russia for the first time, and at least there were four victories to celebrate - a stark contrast with the 2014 finals when the continent went winless.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
