Spain vs. Japan final score, result (World Cup 2022): The “roar” of Asia

Match summary

Before the final match day of Group E, the Japanese team ranked second in the group with 3 points but was judged to have the least chance of progressing. The reason was because they have to meet Spain, and the European team only needed at least 1 point to be sure to pass the group stage.

The reality on the field showed that the Japanese team was completely inferior to Spain in the first half. When the situation of the group was not clear, La Roja pushed Japan into a position that all the Asian representative could do was defend. Right in the 11th minute, Morata opened the scoring for Spain with an accurate header after Cesar Azpilicueta's cross.

Morata opened the scoring with a header.

After the early goal, Spain dominated the game. They held the ball for 83% of the first half and launched a total of 5 shots, including 3 on target. The ability to control the ball well helps Spain play very leisurely. Meanwhile, the Asian team became more and more inhibited because they always had to chase the ball. In the last six minutes, three Japanese central defenders, Itakura, Taniguchi, and Yoshida, respectively, received yellow cards for fouling the Spanish players. With these developments, no one expected Spain to lose in the second half.

Itakura (no.4), one of three Japanese defenders, received a yellow card in the first half.

However, the Japanese team once again surprised the world by recreating the scenario of the victory over Germany. After the break, the Samurai Blues suddenly changed their tactics and played in a high-pressing style. That certainly caught the Spanish players off guard and caused them to make some errors. Japan successfully took advantage of these mistakes and scored two consecutive goals within five minutes, from the 48th minute to the 51^st minute, thanks to Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka.

Ritsu Doan (no.8) celebrated his equalizer for Japan.

After taking the lead, the Japanese team quickly withdrew the entire squad to create a "concrete" defensive line. Their bravery pushed Spain to a standstill. In the final minutes of the match, Spain also gave up the match after securing their ticket to continue thanks to Germany's 4-2 victory over Costa Rica. As a result, the score of 2-1 in favor of Japan was kept until the referee blew the final whistle.

Final score

ESP - A. Morata (11')

JPN - R. Doan (48')

JPN - A. Tanaka (51')

Squad

Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simón - Azpilicueta, Rodri, Pau Torres, Balde - Busquets, Pedri, Gavi - Nico Williams, Morata, Dani Olmo.

Japan (3-4-3): Gonda - Itakura, Yoshida, Taniguchi - Ito, Morita, Tanaka, Nagatomo - Kamada, Maeda, Kubo.

Highlights

For the first time, Japan beat Spain. It is also the first time they have knocked out two former champions at a World Cup finals. Thanks to those two victories, Japanese football reached another milestone—the first time passing the group stage in two consecutive World Cups (2018 and 2022).