Japan suffered its first loss in the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 26 years when Iraq humbled the four-time champion 2-1 at the Education City Stadium on Thursday.
Iraq, spurred on by thousands of fans at the stadium, inflicted blows one after the other against the Samurai Blue and took just five minutes to score. It dominated major parts of the game, beating Japan for the first time since the Asian Games in 1982, qualifying for the knockouts.
One man who made that happen, the brains behind the domination, control and management – Jesus Casas Garcia.
The Spaniard, who had been the assistant coach of the Spanish National team for over four years stepped up to become the senior team coach of Iraq, moving on from Spanish duty just before the FIFA World Cup 2022.
In over 14 months, his side pulled off the first and biggest upset of the continental competition, pipping Japan in its second group-stage game.
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Starting from the basics
Jesus, who had been a match analyst and scout at Barcelona, specialises in reading teams particularly well and began restructuring the defence in a more compact manner.
In his first international game in charge, he tested the waters of his side’s defence – a friendly against Mexico that Iraq lost 0-4. He returned to the drawing board and ensured that for the next game, the back-line had all bases covered when the opponent attacked.
Two players marked the forwards in the box, one deep-lying midfielder dropped back to clear the ball and the full-backs completed a U-shape to get the ball up-front. In the next match, against Ecuador, Iraq secured a clean sheet.
Though it did not score, it did not let the South Americans score as well. That became the team’s blueprint, going ahead into the Arab Gulf Cup in January 2023.
Iraq coach Jesus Casas Garcia reacts during Iraq vs Japan at AFC Asian Cup 2023. | Photo Credit: Reuters
In their last friendly before the tournament, Iraq won its first game under him, a 1-0 win over Kuwait. The results in the last three matches – loss, a draw and a win. Jesus imprinted the one-step-at-a-time philosophy, maintaining a staunch defence.
At the Arab Gulf Cup, which marked the return of international football tournaments to Iraq after 44 years. The host took centre stage and, under the Spanish talisman, lifted the title after 34 years as the Arab world watched the Lions of Mesopotamia march out of their hibernation.
It beat Asian champion Qatar 2-1 in the semifinal and Oman 3-2 in extra-time in the summit clash, becoming the second most successful team in the tournament (four titles) after Kuwait (10 titles).
Inspiring youngsters
Iraq’s first major trophy after four years inspired players of Iraqi origin to switch allegiances, strengthening the team further with European experience.
“It’s good that we will not see you again in the national team, now go back to your beloved Iraq and never come back to Sweden,” was one of the comments directed at Hussein Ali, a Sweden under-21 international of Iraqi descent, when he decided to represent Iraq on the senior international level.
When Iraq shut the gates of attack upon Hajime Moriyasu’s side in the Asian Cup game, Hussein was one of the 11 who started the match.
“I’m very happy when players call me to ask about getting Iraqi passports when they don’t have one yet,” Jesus had said in a previous interview with IraqiFootballpod.
Iraq coach Jesus Casas Garcia celebrates with the players after a match. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Hussein was not the only one to switch nationalities. Amir Al-Ammari, another Sweden youth international, who represented the under-19 side of the Nordic nation, switched to the Central Asian in 2021.
So did Zidane Iqbal and Ali Al-Hamadi two players who were eligible to play for England but chose to represent Iraq. And under Jesus, the team became one unit.
“I saw different groups and cliques among the squad (when I joined). In the following training camp in Spain, I told them that if I saw this happening again, the players would be out. Anyone who creates a bad atmosphere will be removed,” he added.
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In September 2023, Al-Hamadi scored against India in the King’s Cup semifinal as Iraq eventually won the tournament, the second trophy under Jesus. The last time Iraq won two trophies in a calendar year was back in 1988.
Homework pays off
In the AFC Asian Cup game on January 18, Iraq started the match against Japan with a tendency to go along the left (Japan’s right side).
Moriyasu’s boys were exposed around the same area by Vietnam in their previous game, where they let in two goals in the first half.
That, along with the dubious footing of goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, set up the perfect recipe for Iraq’s plan to march ahead against the Samurai Blue.
Jesus’ side exploited the vulnerability accurately, using through balls and breaking into the final third multiple times past Yukinari Sugawara (right back) and Watary Endo, with the latter playing more as a playmaker than a defensive midfielder.
Within five minutes, Japan was caught ball-watching as Suad Natiq Naji switched play to the left, with Aimen Hussein’s header finding Ahmed Yahya Al-Hajjaj along the left flank.
Al-Hajjaj threaded it through to Ali Jasim Elaibi, whose cross was first pushed back into play instead of out by Suzuki. And then Aymen headed it home.
For the second goal too, Sugawara lost the duel against Al-Hajjaj, who marauded down the flank and crossed it for Hussein. Suzuki got a touch on the forward’s header, but the ball still slipped in. Iraq was flying.
“We will need to play a perfect game to beat Japan,” Jesus had said before the game. And his side executed a “near-perfect” display of his plans.
Though the coach maintained that the team would look at one match at a time, with the next opponent being Vietnam, he will hope the giant-killing spirit can steer them to history.
“ Inshallah, my players will be heroes in Iraq now, or after World Cup qualification,” he had told, The National before the tournament . “Because I know the importance of football in Iraq, that generation with Younis Mahmoud and everyone. All the people remember them.”
In November 2022, Jesus travelled to a country as head coach, of which, by his own admission, he had not known much.
In over one-and-half years there, he has assembled youngsters to play for Iraq, cajoled them to play as a unit with existing veterans and taught them to ‘walk on water’ against the odds and aim for silverware.
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