International soccer match Japan - Iraq 1993
The tragedy of Doha (Japanese: ド ー ハ の 悲劇Dōha no higeki ) is the name well-known among Japanese football fans for the football World Cup qualifier between the Japanese national team and Iraq on October 28, 1993 in the Qatari capital Doha .
Asian champions Japan were 2-1 up until the 92nd minute of the game, which would have meant one of the two Asian starting places for the 1994 World Cup in the United States . However, Iraq equalized in stoppage time and ousted Japan from the qualifying ranks. South Korea , tied on points with the Japanese, was allowed to take part in the World Cup finals due to the better goal difference.
In South Korea itself the game is known under the name The Miracle of Doha (Korean: 도하 의 기적 Doha ui Gijeok ), in Iraq, however, the game is hardly known and therefore has no significance.
The Asian qualification
The Asian qualification for the soccer World Cup in 1994 was held over two group phases, the group winners of the six groups of the first round met against each other in the second round in a single group. Of the six teams, the first two qualify for the finals in the USA. Each team played once against the other, all games took place in neutral Doha.
In addition to Japan, the other group winners Iraq, South Korea, Iran , Saudi Arabia and North Korea qualified. On the penultimate matchday Japan had defeated South Korea 1-0 and took the lead. A victory against the Iraqis would have secured the first qualification.
The table before the last matchday ( two-point score ):
| rank | team | Games | G | U | V | Gates | Torverh. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Japan |
4th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5: 2 | + 3 | 5: 3 |
| 2 |
 Saudi Arabia |
4th | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4: 3 | + 1 | 5: 3 |
| 3 |
 South Korea |
4th | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6: 4 | + 2 | 4: 4 |
| 4th |
.svg){kind=small} Iraq |
4th | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7: 7 | ± 0 | 4: 4 |
| 5 |
 Iran |
4th | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5: 7 | - 2nd | 4: 4 |
| 6th |
 North Korea |
4th | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5: 9 | - 4th | 2: 6 |
With the exception of North Korea, all teams were able to qualify for the World Cup. If Japan had won, regardless of the outcome of the other two games, Japan would have qualified. In the event of a tie, Japan would only have progressed if South Korea or Saudi Arabia couldn't win their last games and Iran had won against Saudi Arabia by no more than four goals. And in the event of a defeat, Japan would have failed in all cases.
The games on the last day
The Japanese took the lead through Kazuyoshi Miura in the 5th minute of the game; the 1-0 was also the score at half-time. Radhi Shenshil equalized in the 54th minute. However, the Japanese scored 2-1 through Masashi Nakayama ten minutes before the end. With this result Japan would have qualified.
The two remaining games ended earlier: Saudi Arabia had defeated Iran 4-3 and qualified, South Korea had won 3-0 against North Korea and had to wait for the result of the Japan-Iraq game.
In stoppage time, the Iraqi Jaffar Omran Salman managed to equalize 2-2 with a header, only seconds later the Swiss referee Serge Muhmenthaler whistled off the game. Japan was eliminated.
Constellations
         Japan
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    Iraq
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The table after the end of qualification
| rank | team | Games | G | U | V | Gates | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Saudi Arabia
|
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8: 6 | + 2 | 7: 3 |
| 2 |
South Korea
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9: 4 | + 5 | 6: 4 |
| 3 |
Japan |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7: 4 | + 3 | 6: 4 |
| 4th |
Iraq |
5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9: 9 | ± 0 | 5: 5 |
| 5 |
Iran |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8:11 | - 3 | 4: 6 |
| 6th |
North Korea |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4th | 5:12 | - 7th | 2: 8 |
consequences
Japan coach Hans Ooft was sacked ten days after the game. The South Korean team failed at the World Cup in the preliminary round (including 2: 3 defeat against Germany ). Of the players used, only Nakayama and Ihara were in the squad when Japan first took part in the World Cup in 1998.
The Iraqi embassy in Seoul received 300 thank-you calls from South Korean fans, while the Iraqi flag was stolen in Tokyo .
Japan and South Korea took part in other soccer world championships
After qualifying from 1993, Japan and South Korea met again in the final round of qualifying for the 1998 World Cup. The Japanese lost the first leg in Tokyo 2-1 and despite their 2-0 victory in Seoul , South Korea won the group and qualified six points ahead of the Japanese because the team made a few mistakes (including a draw in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) . In a play-off game in Johor Bahru , Malaysia , Japan beat Iran 3-2 and secured their first World Cup participation. At the finals in France , however, Japan was eliminated pointless in the preliminary round.
In 2002 Japan and South Korea hosted the World Cup together . The Japanese reached the round of 16 while South Korea finished fourth. In 2006 both teams were eliminated in the preliminary round. Both teams were able to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and were eliminated in the round of 16 (South Korea lost to Uruguay 1: 2, Japan lost to Paraguay 3: 5 on a pen). While both teams were eliminated in the preliminary round in 2014 with one point each, Japan reached the round of 16 in 2018 , while South Korea was eliminated in the preliminary round despite a 2-0 win against Germany.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Winter, Henry : Football: On a wing without a prayer , The Independent (November 6, 1993)
Web links
- The Asian qualification for the 1994 World Cup (German)
- fifa.com: The shame of Doha
- Video of the game