Five Iconic Asian Men’s Football Matches at the Olympics: Japan and Korea Clash in Asian Derby, Iraq Makes Ronaldo a Supporting Actor

The FIFA has revisited five memorable matches involving Asian teams in the history of the Olympic men’s football tournament, which first took place in 1900.

Japan 2-0 Mexico

Copper Medal Play-off, Mexico City 1968

Goals: Kunishige Kamamoto (20′, 40′)

Though South Korea is the most frequent Asian representative in the World Cup with 11 appearances, the record at the Olympics belongs to Japan, who have participated 12 times. The Japanese were also the first AFC side to win a medal at the Games, achieving this feat in Mexico City in 1968. Despite facing strong opposition like Spain and Brazil in the group stage, Japan managed to finish second and advance to the quarter-finals, where they defeated France 3-1 to reach the last four.

Although they suffered a heavy defeat against Hungary, one of the best teams in the world at the time, in the semi-finals, two goals from Kunishige Kamamoto secured victory in the bronze medal match. In addition to these goals, Kamamoto scored a hat-trick against Nigeria and netted twice against France, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals. He remains one of only two Asian male players to achieve this distinction at an Olympic Games.

South Korea 2-0 Japan

Copper Medal Play-off, London 2012

Goals: Park Chu-young (38′), Koo Ja-cheol (57′)

There has been only one occasion when two Asian teams faced each other in a medal play-off at the Olympics. This happened during the bronze medal match in London 2012 between South Korea and Japan. Under the guidance of coach Hong Myung-bo, a young squad that had reached the quarter-finals of the U20 World Cup in 2009 won Asia’s first Olympic medal of the 21st century in London.

Park Chu-young opened the scoring for South Korea. The forward had already proven his quality by scoring in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, helping South Korea reach the Round of 16 for the first time overseas with a goal against Nigeria. Koo Ja-cheol added a second goal in the second half to secure the victory.

India 4-2 Australia

Quarter-final, Melbourne 1956

Goals: Neville D’Souza (India | 9′), Bruce Morrow (Australia | 17′), Neville D’Souza (India | 33′), Bruce Morrow (Australia | 41′), Neville D’Souza (India | 50′), Jaganath Krishnaswamy (India | 80′)

In the 1950s and 1960s, India was one of the powerhouses of Asian football, competing consecutively in four Olympic football tournaments from London 1948 to Rome 1960. At Melbourne 1956, India advanced directly to the quarter-finals after their first-round opponents, Hungary, withdrew. Against Australia, the underdog Indian team defeated the hosts, with Neville D’Souza scoring a hat-trick and Jaganath Krishnaswamy adding another goal.

India failed to win a medal, losing to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals and then to Bulgaria in the bronze medal play-off. D’Souza was the first Asian player to score a hat-trick in Olympic football history, netting four goals against Australia and sharing the title of top scorer at Melbourne 1956 with Todor Veselinović of Yugoslavia and Dimitar Milanov of Bulgaria.

Iraq 4-2 Portugal

First Group D Match, Athens 2004

Goals: Haydar Abdul-Jabbar (own goal | 13′), Emad Mohammed (Iraq | 16′), Hawar Mulla Mohammed (Iraq | 29′), José Bosingwa (Portugal | 45′), Younis Mahmoud (Iraq | 56′), Saleh Sadir (Iraq | 90′)

At the U20 World Cup in 2001, Iraq finished third in Group B behind Brazil and Germany. Three years later at the Athens Olympics, eight players from that young squad made history. In their opening group game against Portugal, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and José Bosingwa, Iraq came back from an early deficit with goals from Emad Mohammed and Hawar Mulla Mohammed to win 4-2.

Iraq went on to beat Costa Rica 2-0 in their next match, advancing to the quarter-finals, and Emad Mohammed’s goal ensured a 1-0 victory over Australia. They lost 1-3 to Paraguay in the semi-finals and 0-1 to Italy in the bronze medal play-off, with Alberto Gilardino scoring the winning goal for Italy. Although Iraq did not win a medal that year, they made up for it three years later by winning the AFC Asian Cup.

Kuwait 3-1 Nigeria

First Group B Match, Moscow 1980

Goals: Faisal Al-Dakhil (Kuwait | 16′), Mubarak Al-Mutairi (own goal | 25′), Faisal Al-Dakhil (Kuwait | 40′), Faisal Al-Dakhil (Kuwait | 85′)

The early 1980s marked a golden age for Kuwaiti football. Head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who would later lead Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, guided Kuwait to victory in their opening match at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Star forward Al-Dakhil scored a hat-trick as Kuwait defeated African powerhouse Nigeria 3-1. Parreira’s team then drew 1-1 with Colombia and played to a 0-0 draw with Czechoslovakia, advancing to the quarter-finals. However, they lost 1-2 to the Soviet Union, considered one of the world’s best teams at the time, in the quarter-finals.

The confidence gained from their Olympic adventure propelled Kuwait to win the Asian Cup title in September. Under Parreira’s leadership, the team defeated South Korea to become Asian champions and qualified for the 1982 World Cup the following year. Al-Dakhil, who scored a hat-trick against Nigeria in Moscow, also netted the equalizer in Kuwait’s first-ever World Cup match against Czechoslovakia in 1982, earning Kuwait its first point in World Cup history. The quality of the Olympic team was so high that Parreira selected 14 players from the Olympic squad for the 1982 World Cup roster.