On Sunday 29 August, the preliminary round of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games 5-a-side football took place at Aomi Urban Sports Park, where the 5-a-side football (Blind Football Men's) Japan National Team faced France in their first fixture.

Since 5-a-side football was first introduced to the Paralympic Games in 2004, Japan made their first appearance in the competition as the host nation. In this historic match, Japan scored the opening goal in the fourth minute, when KURODA Tomonari intercepted the ball from Frederic VILLEROUX before taking on two defenders and striking a shot from the centre of the penalty area to give Japan the lead.

In the ninth minute, Kuroda collected the ball cleared by a French defender. Despite being surrounded by three defenders, Kuroda managed to fire a right footed shot that pierced the corner of the French goal to double the Japanese lead.

A free kick was awarded to Japan in the 19th minute, in which KAWAMURA Ryo converted with a left footed shot that got past the French wall and between the legs of the goalkeeper, giving Japan a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Japan continued to show their dominance in the second half, as they displayed great collective effort to keep the French offence at bay. Kawamura converted a PK earned by SASAKI Roberto Izumi in the 27th minute, as Japan started off the preliminary round with a 4-0 victory.

Japan will now face the four time defending champions Brail on Monday 30 August.

Coach and Players’ Comments

TAKADA Satoshi, Coach
The fact that we managed to thoroughly condition ourselves ahead of the tournament and play with composure to exploit the opponent’s weak-point, allowed us to earn this victory. All of the players had the opportunity to step on the pitch, and each one of them executed what they were supposed to do.

GK #1 SATO Daisuke (Tama Hassas)
I feel very honoured to be able to step on the pitch wearing the same jersey as the Japan Football National Team. The field players made countless runs and they were so reliable today. I didn’t have to deal with that many shots because of their efforts, so I am grateful for my teammates.

FP #7 TANAKA Akihito (Tama Hassas)
The field players actively communicated with each other to construct a block in defence. It was a nerve-racking match that consumed a lot of energy from us, but the reserve players showcased a strong performance that allowed us to fight through the entire match.

FP #10 KAWAMURA Ryo (Papelecial Shinagawa)
We had been preparing ourselves all along to win the first match of the Paralympics, so I am glad that I was able to help the team win this match. As the team captain, I told my teammates that we need to enter each match as a challenger and strive to improve ourselves through the competition. Everybody took part in this match to showcase a strong performance that demonstrated the team’s growth.

FP #11 KURODA Tomonari (Tama Hassas)
Since being introduced to blind football in 2002, I have countless bitter memories of missing the Paralympics, so I am delighted to be able to score at the dream stage. I promised my students at Tokyo Metropolitan Hachioji School For The Blind that I will score a goal, so I feel relieved to be able to keep my promise.

FP #14 SONOBE Yuzuki (free bird mejirodai)
Our coach told us to “strive for a goal when holding the ball,” so I was committed to making runs down the line to create opportunities. The fact that I was able to put up a fight against bigger opponents gave me confidence that I can compete at this level.