Japan sinks Australia to win Asian Cup

Japan on Saturday won an unprecedented fourth Asian Cup title after beating Australia 1-0 after extra-time in the final played in the Khalifa Stadium.

Substitute Tadanari Lee scored the only goal of the match for the Japan.

Although both sides played a cautious game, there were scoring opportunities throughout the match, with Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima pulling off a number of excellent saves.

Australian substitute Robbie Kruse nearly gave his side the lead in the first-half of extra-time with a header, but Kawashima did well to palm the ball away.

Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni brought on Lee in the 98th minute for only his second appearance of the tournament, having previously played as a second-half substitute in Japan’s opening 1-1 draw against Jordan.

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima striker scored with a beautiful volley from a Yuto Nagatomo cross in the 119th minute to give his side their second triumph after 1992, 2000 and 2004.

Report: the Hindu

Asian Cup 2011 Exclusive: We Gave Away Three Silly Goals – India’s Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri had his name on the scoresheet but the Indian striker wasn’t a satisfied man as he felt that they leaked far too many goals in a match where the scoreline could have been smaller than the 5-2 defeat to Bahrain.



India's forward Sunil Chhetri runs
with the ball during Asian Cup 2011



India conceded a penalty inside the first ten minutes but took only a minute to find the equalizer through Gouramangi Moirangthem. Thereafter, the team’s defense went off to sleep as three goals were let in before the half-time which did put the team on the back foot after a good start to the match.



“The first half was disappointing. We conceded three silly goals and I believe we should have done a lot better than the 5-2 scoreline in the end.



“It only highlights the difference in the levels that if you make a small mistake against big teams, you have to pay for it. You just can’t switch off for moment or two as it may hurt you,” said Chhetri.



The Sporting Kansas player hailed the contribution of senior pro Renedy Singh and credited the goal to the latter too.


India's players celebrate after midfielder
Gouramangi Singh scored
 a goal against Bahrain during Asian Cup 2011




“I think the goal was Renedy’s. He is an amazing player and in the absence of Bhaichung, he was motivating us on the field. It was a brilliant free-kick for the first goal and the second goal was Renedy’s amazing left foot,” said the former Dempo SC star.



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India's forward Sunil Chhetri (C-L) scores



India's forward Syed Rahim Nabi (L) vies with Bahrain's
 forward Ismail Abdullatif during their 2011 Asian Cup group
 C football match in the Qatari capital Doha on January 14, 2011



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



India's goalkeeper Paul Subrata catches



Team India Is Very Organized – Bahrain Coach Salman Sharida

Bahrain coach Salman Sharida made his intentions clear as he mentioned that he shall include several attack minded players in the line-up against India on Friday as they need a victory in order to remain in contention to qualify into the quarters of the Asian Cup 2011.

Having lost their group C opener to South Korea 2-1, the West Asian side have their minds set on winning three points against the Men in Blue.

“Every match has its own circumstance. We will select good forward players and at the same time, we will not forget our defence to avoid counterattacks. We will change one or two players from the last match,” said Sharida.

He added that he would like to see the Koreans beat the Aussies in the other game of the group as that would help the cause of his side.

“India was organized throughout against Australia and limited the danger caused in the second half. We are thinking of winning and then we shall think of how many goals we can.

“We have the confidence in our players and if we have a chance, then we shall avail every opportunity that comes our way,” declared the former coach of Pakistan.