Japan controlled the first half with 78 percent ball possession and 14 shots. 'We had a preliminary plan when Zhang couldn't play, the young defender Zhu played a very good match and executed our tactics well.' His injury seems very severe and he will go through PCR test tomorrow,' Li said in the post-match press conference. But they suffered an early setback as veteran center back Zhang Linpeng had to be stretched out just five minutes into play due to a waist injury and Zhu Chenjie filled his place. Both teams were eager to get their qualification campaign back on track.įacing Japan, the highest FIFA ranked team in Asia, Chinese head coach Li Tie fielded five defenders in the starting line-up. [Photo/XinhuaĭOHA, Sept - Yuya Osako's first-half goal helped Japan beat China 1-0 in the final round of the FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers on Tuesday.Ĭhina came into the game on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Australia, while Japan was stunned by Oman 1-0 in its opener of the final qualifying round.

China's Zhang Linpeng (No 5) reacts as he quits the match due to waist injury during the final round of the FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers against Japan in Doha, Qatar, September 8, 2021.

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