Qatar stunned defending champions Japan with a late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw in their Asian Cup opener Monday, but it ended on a sour note with Hussain Yaser and coach Dzemaludin Musovic sent off. It was an uninspiring start to Japan's bid for a third straight continental title.
They looked to have three points in the bag after Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara broke the deadlock in the 61st minute when he slammed home a cross from the right by utility man Yasuyuki Konno.
But dangerous Uruguayan-born forward Sebastian Soria equalised two minutes from time when he stroked home a 20-metre free kick through a tight wall after he was bundled over by Yuki Abe. It means unfancied hosts Vietnam find themselves at the top of Group B after upsetting Gulf Cup champions United Arab Emirates 2-0 on Sunday.
Japan coach Ivica Osim insisted he was not shocked by the result, saying luck was an "element of football." "To be frank, I was surprised at how our players performed. They played good football," said the gruff 66-year-old Bosnian.
"The problem is Japan have not reached a level where they can turn beauty into efficiency. Today's match is over. We must think about the next game." Japan face United Arab Emirates on Friday.
Musovic, who has led Qatar to the Gulf Cup and the Asian Games titles since he took the job in 2004, said the match was the "first test" away from home for his team of young players and "the result will give us new motivation." The game boiled over in injury time with Yaser controversially given a straight red card by Australian referee Matthew Breeze for a clumsy challenge on midfielder Yasuyuki Konno.
It should have been a yellow and Musovic stormed off the bench to protest, only to find himself heading back to the dressing room early. "The referee was too quick to give a red card. It was not a decision by a referee," said Musovic, a Bosnian who was Osim's assistant in the 1990 World Cup. "We lost our top player. (Yaser) had no intention to make a foul." Qatar will play Vietnam on Thursday.
Both sides lacked punch in the first half with Japan dominating possession but they were woeful in their passing and produced only feeble shots. Their first attempt on goal came from midfielder Yasuhito Endo who fired straight at Qatar goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr three minutes into the action at a sparsely-attended My Dinh National Stadium.
In the ninth minute, Soria led a counter-attack but his cross from the right of the penalty area failed to find a team-mate. Qatar came close to taking the lead eight minutes later when Abudulla Waleed hit a 25-metre freekick toward the left post, forcing a diving punch away by gutsy Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.
Led by Celtic dead-ball specialist Shunsuke Nakamura, Japan pushed the attack but three long shots, including one from his left foot, in seven minutes before the break got nowhere.
Japan stepped up the pressure in the second period and were rewarded by a Takahara's goal. The Frankfurt man, who scored 11 Bundesliga goals last season, should have sealed the win 20 minutes later when he took a cross in front of the goal but sent his right-footed shot wide.