Asia’s top teams are facing a tough task to avoid World Cup elimination

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Every time Son Heung-min touched the ball inside Qatar’s Education City Stadium on Monday, the South Korean fan section screamed like he was about to perform a miracle.

Leaping into the air for a bicycle kick in the Ghanaian box around the 20th minute, the Tottenham star seemed about to deliver. But he couldn’t get a foot on the ball, and ultimately fell in a heap on the turf. Soon after, Ghana scored its first goal, and would go on to win 3-2 in one of the most exciting games of the World Cup.

For neutrals, at least. For South Korean fans, the result was heartbreaking, and many were in tears as they watched their team walk off the field. Monday’s loss, to a team 20 slots below it in the FIFA rankings, leaves South Korea with a slim path out of its group, and Portugal standing in the way on Friday.

“The result is totally unfair, even a draw would be unfair,” South Korea’s assistant coach, Sergio Costa, told reporters after the match. “We deserved a win.”

He was speaking in place of Paulo Bento after the top coach was red-carded for unleashing a furious tirade on the referee when he blew the final whistle just after awarding South Korea a corner.

South Korea may hope that Portugal, having already qualified, will field a weaker team, making it easier to pick up the three points it needs while Uruguay and Ghana battle it out. Costa said supporters should “count on us for the next match,” as his team seeks to avoid a repeat of 2018, when it did not make it to the final 16.

Asia’s other top teams are not faring much better. Iran was eliminated on Tuesday, while Japan is facing a similarly tough route out of the group stage.

After a stunning victory over Germany in its first game, Japan fell to Costa Rica on Sunday. It was the better side, but nevertheless looked poor as it struggled to score against a team Spain had humiliated in a seven-goal rout. Eventually, with a single shot on goal, Costa Rica took the lead and left Samurai Blue fans dejected.

“The magic is gone, and only uncertain darkness awaits,” the Japan Times said after the loss.

Sunday’s defeat means Japan cannot afford to lose to Spain, and must also hope Germany falters against Costa Rica when all four teams meet on Thursday. And unlike Portugal’s big lead in Group H, Spain currently sits atop Group E by only a point, and it will be looking for a win to secure its place in qualifying.

“We are expecting a very tough and intensive game,” Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu said. “We cannot say we can beat Spain because we’ve beaten Germany, as both teams have won the World Cup before.”

The Japanese coach has spoken repeatedly of wanting to break the “curse of the final 16″ at this World Cup, and finally see Japan make it to a quarter-final, after seven successive appearances at soccer’s top tournament. But following Sunday’s performance, he may count himself lucky if Japan merely makes it out of its group.

Cameron Wilson, a Shanghai-based sportswriter, said it would be a setback for Asian soccer if two of the continent’s best teams fail to make it beyond the group stage.

“But Japan and Korea already proved they are competitive at this level,” he said. “This World Cup has shown, arguably, that the gap between top and bottom in terms of quality is possibly a bit smaller than before.”

He said that while Japan and South Korea have dominated Asian soccer for years – a point of pain for frequent also-rans China – “don’t forget Saudi’s amazing win over Argentina or Iran recovering from their crushing defeat against England to beat Wales.”

“Whilst it’s possible no Asian teams make it through, I think their results have shown they are competitive,” Wilson added.