Japan beats Spain 2-1 at World Cup
Japan's Ao Tanaka scores his side's second goal during the World Cup group E soccer match between Japan and Spain, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Credit: AP/Darko Vojinovic
DOHA, Qatar — Japan scored twice early in the second half to come from behind to defeat Spain 2-1 and advance to the round of 16 of the World Cup on Thursday.
Ao Tanaka scored the winning goal from close range early in the second half. It took about two minutes for video review officials to confirm the ball hadn't gone out of bounds before the goal.
Álvaro Morata scored first for Spain in the 11th minute at Khalifa International Stadium, but Japan rallied after halftime. Ritsu Doan equalized in the 48th with a left-footed shot from outside the box, and Tanaka added the second one a few minutes later.
Japan also shocked Germany 2-1 in its opener at the same venue.
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Japan's Ao Tanaka, second right, heads the ball to score his side's second goal during the World Cup group E soccer match between Japan and Spain, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) Credit: AP/Themba Hadebe
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
