Both guest teams Japan and Qatar failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2019 Copa America. The two AFC Asian Cup finalists covered the tournament’s two guest spots, typically reserved for nations from North or Central America, in an unprecedented move to strengthen the ties between the two continents.
Qatar began the tournament with a surprise comeback draw against Paraguay, before narrowly losing 1-0 to Colombia courtesy of a late goal from Duvan Zapata after a solid defensive performance. Argentina, meanwhile, had been struggling, as a 2-0 loss to Colombia on the opening day was followed up by a 1-1 draw with Paraguay, where a Lionel Messi penalty was needed to bail the side out.
Sensing a potential weakness, Qatar quietly believed that they could pull off a shock by unseating Argentina and taking their place in the next round with a defensively solid approach. However, La Albiceleste buffeted their back-line from the first whistle, and it took Lautaro Martinez only four minutes to find the back of the net and put Argentina in front, capitalizing on Qatar’s failure to play out from the back.
Needing to chase the game, the West Asian side’s game-plan was rendered useless as they were forced to come out in search of an equalizer. However, it took until the final ten minutes for Argentina to put the result beyond doubt, with Sergio Aguero breaking past the defense and sliding a low shot into the far corner of the net to put his side into the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, in Group C, a young Japan side went into their final group game against Ecuador knowing that a win would be enough to secure their qualification to the last 16. Shoya Nakajima gave the East Asian giants the lead after 15 minutes, firing his shot into an open goal from range after goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez was caught out of position.
Unfortunately, the Samurai Blues were unable to hold on to their advantage, as a tap-in goal from Angel Mena on the rebound canceled out their lead shortly after the half-hour mark. The result held until the end of the game, meaning Japan were eliminated on goal difference via the third-place ranking.
However, Japan can take heart from the performance of their young, olympic-eligible team as they continue to prepare for the summer games in Tokyo next year. Meanwhile, for Qatar, their victory in the AFC Asian Cup and their ability to hold their own at this competition suggest the side are progressing well in preparation to host the 2022 World Cup.