One day following their 2-1 victory over the China PR National Team at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) resumed their trainings in Busan, Korea Republic, on Wednesday 11 December.

With the team scheduled to face the Hong Kong National Team in three days, the players of SAMURAI BLUE made their appearance at the training field in the afternoon. On this day, the 11 players who started the match, including SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) and MIURA Genta (Gamba Osaka), went through a light recovery menu before leaving the field early.

The remaining players conducted a full training session, where they went through passing, shooting, and ball possession drills, as assistant coach YOKOUCHI Akinobu gave out detailed orders towards the players. After concluding the team drills, players spent their time working on individual menus, as the attacking players like OGAWA Koki (Mito HollyHock) and TAGAWA Kyosuke (FC Tokyo) repeatedly took shots to checkout their feelings of the ball. The players also took their time to go over the match films of their match against China PR, as SOMA Yuki (Kashima Antlers), who was utilised as a late substitute, mentioned, “The fact that I was give the opportunity to play on the pitch meant a lot for me.”

TANAKA Shunta (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences), who played in the Toulon International Tournament in June, where the U-22 Japan National Team finished as the runners-up, also shared his aspiration, “I am definitely feeling the pressure, but I am not that nervous. I am just hoping to showcase my usual performance.”

At this year’s E-1 Football Championship, Japan, China PR, Korea Republic, and Hong Kong will compete for the East Asia title in a round robin format. On this day, the Korea Republic National Team won their first match against the Hong Kong National Team 2-0 to claim the tournament lead, as they lead Japan in goal difference.

The SAMURAI BLUE will face the Hong Kong National Team on Saturday 14 December with a kick-off time of 19:30 at Busan Gudeok Stadium.

Players' Comments

MF #3 TANAKA Shunta (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
If I can showcase a positive performance at this tournament, it should help me grow as a player ahead of my first season in Sapporo and give me an edge in the player selection for the Olympics, so I will try to play with confidence. The national team is where we represent our country, and ever since the Toulon International Tournament, I have always played with that responsibility in heart.

MF #7 ENDO Keita (Yokohama F・Marinos)
In our match against China PR, I entered the match with the intention to prioritise our defence first. However, I felt like I was too passive when making attempts to dribble the ball upfront, so I must be more aggressive in those situations. With this being my first match with the senior team, there were many mental barriers, but I cannot use that as an excuse. There were many scenes where I needed to make better decisions, so I hope to showcase a better performance next time.

MF #14 MORISHIMA Tsukasa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
I was given the opportunity to play in my usual position against China PR, so the match went smoothly for me. I knew that the space would open up if I kept making runs, so I focused on positioning myself in open spaces throughout the entire 90 minutes. I was able to keep a good distance with my teammates and get myself involved with the ball often. Although it was unfortunate to concede that last goal, I feel like we showcased a good performance in defence overall. Our team will only get better from here, so I hope to create more chances upfront.

MF #16 SOMA Yuki (Kashima Antlers)
It was unfortunate that we conceded that final goal, but I am glad that we managed to pull off the win. We were very active in communicating with each other and it helped us improve our combinations on the pitch. My strong point is in my offensive abilities, so I hope to help out the team by getting myself involved to our team’s goals.

FW #11 TAGAWA Kyosuke (FC Tokyo)
It felt like we gradually picked up our pace in offence, while the experienced players actively communicated with the team to lead the defence, and I am confident that we can get better as we play more matches. Personally, I don’t want to leave any regrets, so I will give my utmost effort when I am given the opportunity to play.

FW #13 UEDA Ayase (Kashima Antlers)
We are not totally satisfied with how we performed yesterday, but I feel like we have showcased a glimpse of our potential. The team is representing Japan, so we must stay eager to win the remaining two matches. Although we are given with very limited time to build this team, we have enough talents and creativity to make it work, so we will continue to communicate and help each other to win our matches.

Schedule

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

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 Final Korea Republic

Tournament Dates: Tue. 10 - Wed. 18 December 2019
Tournament Venue: Busan Gudeok Stadium/Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Korea Republic)
Participating Countries: China PR, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea Republic

Tournament Information

OFFICIAL PARTNER

OFFICIAL SUPPLIER

SUPPORTING COMPANY

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•