Asian flags fly high

Fervour and flavour, form and fluency, these are key words at the FIFA World Cup. In the desert venues of Qatar, where eight football stadia have been built pretty close to each other, the action provided on the field in group matches was riveting as well as revealing.

It has also become a pattern in the last two decades, whenever any major sporting event is awarded to Asia, the Western world feels as if it has been snubbed. Just to jog the readers' memory, when Beijing was awarded the rights to host the Summer Olympics in 2008, it led to an uproar. Likewise, when Japan and South Korea hosted the FIFA World cup in 2002, exactly two decades ago, there was sarcasm and smirk. That Japan held most of the important matches then, including the final, was a message that Asia was not to be left behind.

Similarly, when Beijing was a proud host of the Olympics 14 years ago, they showed how quality infrastructure could be built with such brilliance and opulence; the Western world watched in awe. Agreed, they cribbed about language and how security forces in Beijing were made to face hardships. That was just an attempt to sully the image of China as they showed to the world that they were capable of staging the biggest sporting spectacle. Add to it the Winter Olympics last year, China — as a sporting nation — has established itself as a good host. That is, as long as you do not try to change the narrative by bringing in the prevailing Covid-19 situation in several cities there. After all, Hangzhou has to host the Asian Games in 2023.

Back to the FIFA World Cup, watching the group stage matches has offered finite pointers as to how football is no longer just a preserve of the big nations from Europe, Latin America and, eternal favourite, Brazil. The world of sport has seen several changes in the last three years or so. The Covid pandemic has changed the perception as to how sport and elite athletes will survive, literally.

Call it evolution or the miracle of modern-day medicine, research and innovation, to have life-saving vaccines now in place has killed all the negativity. To be sure, the response to the Qatar World Cup at home in India may not be as high as the IPL. Yet, there are millions who are watching the matches on television and soaking in the big thrills. The timing of the matches has been good to India, though, if you live in up north, in India, the 00:30-hour matches have to be seen from inside the comforts of a blanket or quilt!

The timing of these late matches has not been soporific. Today, none can say there is football fatigue like when we watched cricket's Asia Cup in the UAE and the ICC World Cup in Australia. Football leagues are a mega business. It's sport plus commerce, yet, the quality of football has not diminished in the World Cup. If you think results in Qatar should have been only about heavyweight teams, it was fascinating to see Asian teams punch above their weight.

Oil-rich nations Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the men from the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan, have shown that football in Asia is rocking. The way a suppressed country like Iran has attracted attention and aroused interest has been captivating. Pre-match drama in the form of not singing the national anthem before their first match, then changing their mind, have grabbed eyeballs. Likewise, Saudi Arabia showed that they deserved to win against Argentina in a real shocker, which led to a national holiday the next day back home. From Jeddah to Dammam and Riyadh to Dhahran, there were emotions all the way.

What this World cup has shown is that predicting results has not been easy. The focus will continue to be on the soccer superstars and what is called the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) debate — between No 10 Lionel Messi and CR7, Cristiano Ronaldo. Well, apart from these two men, there have been superlative performances in the last few weeks in Qatar, which has instilled belief that Young Turks and unknown players are ready to soak in the pressure. People love to hate the England team under Gareth Southgate, but they, too, have been consistent.

All this is fine. How many people thought Japan would be the toast of the league phase? For the Japs to rock and roll at this World Cup has been defining. They have almost changed the narrative, with not just flashes of brilliance but putting in efforts which are laced with adrenaline and audacity. How many would have thought Japan, hardly given a ghost of a chance, would barge into the Round of 16 for a date with Croatia? How many would have thought a nation which was in lockdown till late 2021, and finally opened up borders in 2022, would play simple football.

There is no fuss. Their football is about feel, fluency and efficiency. They have no pretensions of being world beaters, at least on the football pitch. Yet, to whack Germany and spill their guts on the turf to win 2-1 against Spain was as ferocious as a tidal wave. To have beaten two European teams and knocked Germany out will call for many more discussions even after the World Cup ends on December 18. If you had thought of Germany as a football super nation some years ago, it was not misplaced. They had legends like Franz Beckanbeur, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matghaus, Jurgen Klinsmann and Miroslav Klose, to name a few. Times have changed.

A bit about how Germany fell by the wayside. They have rich and competitive leagues like the Bundesliga. That it turned out to be a breeding ground for Japan is ironic. At least five of the Japanese players competed in German leagues and learnt so many new things. The biggest learning was self-belief and how to take on European teams with skills plus a positive mindset. We have never doubted Japan as a sporting nation. The supremacy debate between them and China will rage.

Just as we love and trust Japan's cars and their electronic items, they have shown that their own J-league, in existence back home for long, has been doing the right things. And what do you say of men like Ritsu Doan and Ao Tanaka, the destroyers of Spain? The Japanese team has avoided hype and played football which is simple to view. They are nippy and familiar with what was needed to prepare themselves physically to be ready for the conditions in Qatar.

Yes, the eight football venues are temperature-controlled but what the Japan team controlled, overall, was being ready for humid weather in training, the ambience and mental preparation. No shouting, no tearing jerseys, their huddle in the middle of the football pitch was so respectful, not trying to mock the team they vanquished. If anyone says good behaviour does not win hearts, please watch Japan. They played minus any ugly episodes. And when Japanese fans sat at various venues in the stands, they cleaned it up so beautifully, leaving no water bottles or chips packets behind. It is this discipline instilled in them from a young age which makes such a large difference on the global stage.

People rave about Japan as a nation for its cleanliness and being systematic. Who would have thought, minus madness in method, their team would rock football pitches. They may not go on to win the World Cup but if proof was needed, they are doing the right things. Two results have shown that by the time the next FIFA World Cup takes place in 2026, we may see much more from Asia. Till now, Asia was seen as a good region from a financial point of view in terms of milking sponsorship deals. That philosophy is going to change now.

South Korea, yet another Asian team, clinched a thrilling victory against Portugal on Friday — becoming the penultimate entrant in the Round of 16. This stoppage-time winner put South Korea at par with two-time World Cup winners Uruguay. All that the South Koreans had to do then was to pray and hope that Uruguay didn't score a goal against Ghana in the remaining six minutes of the game, because it was the number of goals that would break the tie. Uruguay failed, and is now out of the World Cup.

Back to the big teams, how Argentina, Portugal and Brazil are going to fight it out will be gripping to watch. Argentina run into Australia, again a nation which has caught the eye and leapfrogged into the Round of 16. Aussies love sport. Yet, if you thought a country from Down Under which loves its own rugby, cricket and Grand Rules football would burst into action in the FIFA World Cup was least expected. Argentina versus Australia is going to be a hard match late Saturday night. By the time you read this paper on Sunday morning, one team's fate would have been sealed.

Portugal, Brazil and England have the potential to do well. Portugal are under the scanner as the Western media thinks Ronaldo is a traitor for calling the bluff of Manchester United at Old Trafford. Is he old at 37? Does not look so. Are Brazil strong contenders, minus a fully fit Neymar, who is also massively injury prone? Well, they have shown bench strength for sure.

Under Gareth Southgate, England have also done fairly well. Old timers will mock them and say that the Three Lions are never going to win the World Cup. Just as you need to take predictions from an astrologer with a pinch of salt, do not believe what betting sites and prediction models have to say about the knockout matches in Qatar. Anything can happen is no longer a cliche or banal. Qatar has shown that even minus Budweiser beer cans inside the stadium, you can still enjoy football!

Views expressed are personal