The 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019 vs Russia Universiade National Team
Sun. 7 July 2019 18:00 (local time) Match duration 90mins (45mins×2)
Stadio Arena (Napoli, Italy)

Japan Universiade National Team 4-1 (4-0, 0-1) Russia Universiade National Team

Scores
13' HAYASHI Daichi (Japan Universiade National Team)
20' KANEKO Takuro (Japan Universiade National Team)
24' KANEKO Takuro (Japan Universiade National Team)
36' HATATE Reo (Japan Universiade National Team)
76' goal against (Russia Universiade National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: OBI Powell Obinna
DF: NAKAMURA Hotaka, TANAKA Shunta, YAMAKAWA Tetsushi, TSUNODA Ryotaro
MF: TAKAMINE Tomoki, KODAMA Shunto, KANEKO Takuro, OGASHIWA Tsuyoshi
FW: HATATE Reo, HAYASHI Daichi

Reserves
GK: ABE Koto
DF: YAMAHARA Reon, HONMURA Takeaki
MF: MITOMA Kaoru, MORISHITA Ryoya, KONNO Kazuya, AKIMOTO Takahiro, YAMAMOTO Yuki
FW: UEDA Ayase

Substitutions
HT HATATE Reo → AKIMOTO Takahiro
HT TANAKA Shunta → HONMURA Takeaki
54' KODAMA Shunto → KONNO Kazuya
83' KANEKO Takuro → YAMAMOTO Yuki

Match Report

Following their 3-0 win over Argentina in their first group stage match, the Japan Universiade National Team faced Russia at the 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019 on Sunday 7 July.

While Russia entered the match with a four-day rest following their first fixture, Japan had only one day in between the two matches. With the tough scheduled, Japan rotated nine of the starting players from the previous match to keep their legs fresh. The match started off with Japan taking the initiative, as HAYASHI Daichi connected with a cross delivered by OGASHIWA Tsuyoshi to score the opening goal in the 13th minute. In the match against Argentina, Hayashi’s goal was ruled as an own goal, and the striker entered the match by mentioning, “I will make sure to score a goal in this match.” KANEKO Takuro doubled the lead in the 20th minute, when he broke through the right side, followed by another goal scored by Kaneko in the 24th minute, this time with the assist from HATATE Reo. The fourth goal came in the 36th minute, when Hatate calmly converted a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper to give Japan a commanding lead at halftime.

With the 4-0 lead, Japan brought in AKIMOTO Takahiro and HONMURA Takeaki during halftime to give the two players, Hatate and TANAKA Shunta, who started the two matches a rest, while KONNO Kazuya was also introduced to the match in the 54th minute. Japan continued to create opportunities in the second half but struggled to convert their chances. Conversely, Russia captured their first goal in the 76th minute, but Japan managed to hold onto their lead to mark their second straight victory in the group league to advance to the quarterfinals as the group leader.

The quarterfinals will take place on Monday 9 July at 21:00 local time at Stadio San Francesco. Japan will face Korea Republic, who finished as the runners-up in Group A. With the team suffering a loss to Korea Republic this spring, they are given the perfect opportunity for a pay back.

Coach and Players' Comments

MATSUMOTO Naoya, Coach (Momoyama Gakuin University)
It was great to see our team score consecutive goals in the early minutes. With our opponents laying out a solid block in defence in the second half, we wanted to break through that block to score more goals, but we conceded a goal instead. We must reset our minds and prepare ourselves ahead of the quarterfinals. We have lost the recent match against Korea Republic, so we hope to win this time and advance through in this tournament. Korea Republic will have the advantage with a three-day rest, compared to our one-day rest, but the match between Japan and Korea Republic is a special match for both sides. We will prepare ourselves in the best way possible to claim the victory.

DF #2 NAKAMURA Hotaka (Meiji University)
After watching the first match from the bench, I was very eager to play on the field, and I was able to get myself involved in the team’s goal in the first half. I am glad that I was able to display what Kaneko and I have been working on in our trainings, but I still felt the need to improve my play speed. We only have one day before our next match, but I hope to make the necessary adjustments ahead of the match. I played in our previous match against Korea Republic, and I still remember the bitterness from that loss. That is why I am fully committed to win the next match at all cost. It will be a very intense match, so I will prepare myself thoroughly.

DF #17 TSUNODA Ryotaro (University of Tsukuba)
We were able to control the match more than we expected. However, despite our dominance in ball possession, we weren’t critical enough at the final third. That was especially evident when we failed to dominate the second half after scoring four goals in the first half. We struggled to deal with our opponents dropping deep in their territory. We need to position ourselves better in order to move the ball around more effectively.

MF #11 KANEKO Takuro (Nihon University)
The two goals came from my favourite angle and distance, so I was pretty confident in both situations. I was focused on staying on top of the ball to hit target, so I was glad it went where I wanted. Our team features many dribblers including myself, so I hope to showcase my character in the following matches. Russia constructed their offence through short passes, so in that sense, they were easier to face than Argentina. We will now face Korea Republic, an opponent we have faced before, so we will make the necessary adjustments to win the match.

Schedule

*Local time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

The 30th Summer Universiade Napoli 2019

Tournament Duration: Wed. 3 - Sun. 14 July 2019

Tournament Information