Hiroki Ito Photo: Getty Images
The Japanese national soccer team, Moriyasu Japan, will play against the Iraqi national team in the second round of the AFC Asian Cup group stage, which will be held on the 19th of this month. With the team trailing 0-2, there is a heated debate online over how to use defender Hiroki Ito (VfB Stuttgart), who is starting at left back.
Japan allowed a shot right after the kickoff in the first half, and in the 5th minute, goalkeeper Ayane Suzuki (Sint-Truiden VV) punched a cross from the right side of their own half in front of the goal. FW Ayman Hussain responded with a header. After that, Iraq threatened Japan’s goal many times with counter-attacks, and Hussain pushed in in front of the goal in first-half stoppage time to score another point.
In the 57th minute, Japan’s forward Takuma Asano (VfL Bochum) was brought down by an opponent in the penalty area, and the referee ruled it a penalty. However, due to the intervention of VAR (Video Assistant Referee), the decision was changed to a free kick for Iraq.
Ito matched up with midfielder Youssef Amin on the left side of his own half. Although he doesn’t have many effective plays in attack, some comments on X (formerly Twitter) include things like “Hiroki Ito is not the kind of player who stands out on the side and lets cross players” and “Ito’s main job is as a center back, but…” Questions about its usage arose. As criticism of the player has become heated, many messages of support have been received, with comments such as “It’s frustrating to see Hiroki Ito being criticized by people who only watch national team games” and “I feel sorry for him when I watch him play.” .
Ito played as a midfield center and center back during his time at Jubilo Iwata. In the 2023/24 season, he was a regular at left back for a while, but last November he played full time as a center back for two games in a row.
2024-01-19 13:13:00
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