World Cup: Asia dreams of a milestone night, as Japan and South Korea aim to topple illustrious rivals

DOHA – A pivotal night for Asian football beckons. For the first time, the continent could have two teams in the quarter-finals of a World Cup.

On Monday, Japan take on Croatia, beaten finalists in 2018, before South Korea attempt to tame record five-time champions Brazil, in back-to-back round-of-16 ties.

In the 92-year-history of the World Cup, only twice before have Asian teams reached the last eight.

North Korea did it in 1966 – when the tournament featured only 16 teams – and exited after losing 5-3 to Eusebio’s Portugal.

In 2002, South Korea surpassed them when they went on a dream run to the semi-finals, where they lost 1-0 to Germany at home.

The Taegeuk Warriors finished fourth, which is the best showing by an Asian team at the Finals.

History has already been made in Qatar with three teams from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) making it to the knockout stage, although Australia fell by the wayside after they lost 2-1 to Argentina on Saturday.

Hopes now rest on the two teams from north-east Asia. Both will step onto the pitch with the knowledge they can match some of the world’s best.

The Japanese, whose best showing at the World Cup is three round-of 16-exits, have emerged as the neutrals’ favourite after unyielding displays against former champions Spain and Germany in the group stage. In both games, the Samurai Blue trailed but clawed back to win 2-1.

The South Koreans, meanwhile, faced one of the greatest players ever in Cristiano Ronaldo, kept him quiet, and nicked a dramatic injury-time winner for a 2-1 victory to earn passage into the last 16.

Their confidence will be augmented by strong support in the stands, with Asian and African sides among the most backed at games in Qatar, both in terms of numbers and decibels raised.

As influential as the 12th man can be, however, he does not kick a ball, and there will surely be question marks over whether fatigue will be setting in within the Japanese and South Korean players after their energy-sapping efforts to get to this stage.

Japan blew Spain and Germany away by stepping up their intensity in the second half, but in between, they were muted in a 1-0 defeat by Costa Rica.

Striker Daizen Maeda, in particular, has played an unsung role up front in those two big wins. The shaven-headed 25-year-old Celtic man chased, harrassed and harangued opposition defenders single-handedly while the others sat back, and was withdrawn around the hour mark for fresher teammates to attack tired legs.

With Japan’s soak-and-strike tactics now plain to see, will it work again against Croatia?

If Hajime Moriyasu’s men are indeed still feeling weary from last Thursday’s Herculean effort against Spain, they can at least take some comfort in the fact the Croats were locked in a fierce 90-minute battle with Belgium themselves on the same day, holding firm for a goal-less draw which helped them advance at the expense of the world No. 2 side.

For the South Koreans, the group stage has been draining not just physically, but emotionally too.

Even after beating Portugal, the squad had to wait nervously on the pitch for about 10 minutes for news to trickle through that the result in the Uruguay-Ghana game played at the same time had gone their way.

Once it did, star player Son Heung-min broke down in tears for the second time in four days – he first bawled on the pitch after the 3-2 defeat by Ghana, which had severely dented his side’s hopes of progressing.

It has been a difficult tournament for Asia’s best player. Often double-teamed by opposing defenders, he made his first direct contribution by setting up Hwang Hee-chan with an inch-perfect through ball for the 91st-minute winner against Portugal.

Hwang may end up becoming South Korea’s wild card again as they look to breach a solid-looking Brazil backline, with powerful but raw Cho Gue-sung expected to have a tough night up against two of the world’s best centre-backs in Thiago Silva and Marquinhos.

Perhaps Paulo Bento, South Korea’s Portuguese coach, can take a leaf out of Japan’s playbook and use breakout star Cho as a battering ram to unsettle the experienced Brazilian duo, before unleashing Hwang once again.

Japan have a wild card of their own in winger Kaoru Mitoma, who has shone each time he has stepped off the bench in Qatar – famously setting up the highly controversial winning goal against Spain. The Brighton player is likely to be handed the same role against Croatia.

On Sunday, Japan’s 141-cap defender Yuto Nagatomo posted on Twitter about the “best 16 wall”, one which he said “greatly hindered Japanese football and his own career”.

“The time to break down the wall that has tormented and driven us is here,” said the 36-year-old, who plays for FC Tokyo.

“We’ll face it heroically.”

Whatever formations, tactics, or team talks Bento and Moriyasu decide on, one thing is for sure.

The whole of Asia will be watching – and dreaming. Of a history-making night.