On Monday 30 August, the 5-a-side football (Blind Football Men's) Japan National Team played their second fixture of the preliminary round of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games 5-a-side football against Brazil at Aomi Urban Sports Park.

The four-time defending champions, Brazil, showcased amazing dribbling skills to dominate the ball possession and created numbers of chances to threaten the Japanese goal. Despite the superb saves made by the Japanese goalkeeper SATO Daisuke, Brazil’s Raimundo MENDES dribbled through SASAKI Roberto Izumi and TANAKA Akihito to score the opening goal in the fifth minute.

Although Japan was able to minimise the damage in the first half, Brazil continued to show their dominance, as Tiago da SILVA dribbled through the Japanese defence to score the second goal in the 25th minute.

Overwhelmed by the Brazilian offence, Japan was forced to be in the defensive end for the majority of match but managed to earn a corner kick in the 26th minute. However, Brazil showcased great composure to keep the Japanese offence at bay, as KAWAMURA Ryo was denied from taking a shot.

With time running out, Ricardo ALVES, who is considered as one of the best dribblers in the world, penetrated the left side and made his away across the field to strike a shot from the right side to score the team’s third goal. Alves went onto score his second goal of the match in the 39th minute, striking a powerful shot from the right side, propelling Brazil to the semi-finals with a 4-0 victory.

With their advancement to the semi-finals at stake, Japan will now face China PR on Tuesday 31 August.

Coach and Players’ Comments

TAKADA Satoshi, Coach
We conceded an early goal and struggled to find our rhythm. Brazil was simply the better team. However, it wasn’t like we didn’t have any chance, but we committed too many mistakes. There were many scenes we can implement in our next match against China PR, so we will reflect on this match and prepare for tomorrow’s match.

GK #1 SATO Daisuke (Tama Hassas)
I am very disappointed. Although there were scenes where I was well prepared to make saves, I needed to maintain that level of focus throughout the match in order to win against teams like Brazil. However, it wasn’t like we had no chance at all. Our opponent exploited the small gaps between our defence, so we need to reflect on this match and make the necessary adjustments ahead of our next match.

FP #3 SASAKI Roberto Izumi (Papelecial Shinagawa)
A simple mistake can cost us a goal when facing an opponent like Brazil. We committed four mistakes that led to four goals today. However, I feel like this was a great match overall. It was a tough match, but I feel very fortunate to be able to play against Brazil. Once the match was over, we were able to exchange opinions and talk as friends, so this was a wonderful learning experience.

FP #7 TANAKA Akihito (Tama Hassas)
We were expecting our opponent to dominate the ball possession, but their ability to exploit our small mistakes was something beyond our imagination. We hope to advance through the group stage by winning against China PR, so that we can face Brazil at the final.

FP #11 KURODA Tomonari (Tama Hassas)
They showed us what it takes to be at the top of the world in terms of strengths, speed, and technique. However, we might have given them too much respect and played too passively in many aspects. I feel like I could have applied more pressure upfront to give our team more opportunities to intercept the ball, so that is an aspect I am regretting the most.

FP #14 SONOBE Yuzuki (free bird mejirodai)
I was focused on winning the ball in defence, but I wasn’t able to keep up with the opponents after a while and allowed them to score goals. Endurance is an aspect I must improve on. In terms of offence, I was able to earn a corner kick by deflecting the ball against an opponent. I am glad that I was able to create an opportunity for my team.

FP #10 Ricardo ALVES (Brazil National Team)
This was an important match for us to advance through to the next stage. This team has a deeper roster than what we had five years ago. Although we are considered as the tournament favourite after winning fourth straight titles, our past accomplishments do not guarantee us a win, so we must always stay in the present. We hope to showcase a performance that is worthy of winning the gold medal. However, we don’t know what will happen until 4 September.