At Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Sunday, Vietnam (red jersey) were rated much lower than Japan - the number one team in Asia and currently have the best form in the world with 10 consecutive wins.
Japan stand at 17th in FIFA ranking, while Vietnam are far behind at 94th.
Japan entered the game cautiously, so the pressure on Vietnam in the first 10 minutes was not high.
But Japan only needed to turn it up a notch to make a difference. In the 11th minute, from a cross on the left flank, goalkeeper Nguyen Filip tried to clear the ball, but Japan were still in control.
Center-back Ko Itakura released the ball to right-back Yukinari Sugawara as he took a shot.
Bui Hoang Viet Anh blocked the ball, but it bounced to Takumi Minamino (number 8), allowing the forward to finish and open the scoring for Japan.
Five minutes after conceding, Vietnam had a shocking equalizer.
Midfielder Do Hung Dung took the corner to the near post so that Nguyen Dinh Bac (number 15) could get a beautiful and difficult header that left goalkeeper Zion Suzuki no chance.
The equalizer helped Vietnam play more confidently. In a quick counterattack, a long ball found striker Pham Tuan Hai (C), who started to accelerate. Keeper Suzuki had to go out of the box to clear the ball.
In the 32nd minute, Dinh Bac sprinted down the middle and Yukinari Sugawara had to foul him as he received a yellow card, while Vietnam got a direct freekick on the left.
From this freekick, Phan Tuan Tai made a cross that found Viet Anh, who headed the ball toward goal, surprising goalkeeper Suzuki and this keeper made a poor save.
Tuan Hai (right, kneeling) quickly rushed in and slotted the ball into the empty net, giving Vietnam a 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute.
While everyone on the team celebrated, coach Philippe Troussier remained calm at both goals. Instead, he talked to his assistants and gave instructions to the players.
After taking the lead, Vietnam did not change their style of play. Their possession in the first half was 42%.
However, Japan found rhythm in the final five minutes of the first half and six minutes of additional time. The Samurai Blue continuously got the ball to the flank then switched to the middle to create dangerous chances.
In the 45th minute, Wataru Endo passed the ball to Minamino, who was standing at the edge of the box. Minamino’s shot went through the legs of a Vietnam player and beat Nguyen Filip.
In the third additional minute, Minamino passed the ball into the box for Keito Nakamura (number 13) to get the ball past two players and then curl it into the top right corner to make it 3-2 for Japan, ending a memorable first half.
In the second half, Japan chose to play cautiously and did not push the attacks too high. Vietnam got the ball quite frequently but did not have enough strength and skills to create a breakthrough.
In the 85th minute, from a midfield play, the substitute Ayase Ueda (number 9) took a shot that deflected off defender Phan Tuan Tai before going in, sealing a 4-2 victory for Japan.
