There has been a lot of hand-wringing over the state of Asian football due to the region’s continued failure in the World Cup; a slight return to three wins from a combined 27 games this time will do that for you.
Still, there was hope about Japan’s chances of reaching the final stages of the tournament, especially given that they were facing a Brazilian team that, by the country’s standards, is average.
Unfortunately, Carlo Ancelotti’s mediocre side will always prove a minority, even if they needed a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli to secure a 2-1 win in Houston.
As a result, the only AFC team with a chance to reach the quarter-finals fell to the first knockout stage once again, and now all hope remains for Australia to get a decisive victory over Egypt this weekend.
The story of the day, though, unfolded in Boston, where Paraguay eliminated Germany on penalties, which is where we’ll begin to wrap up our day’s play so far.
