Super Cup of Nations 2016 vs Italy Beach Soccer National Team
2016-10-22(Sat.) - 10:45　Playing Time: 12min.×3
Praia do Gonzaga（Brazil/Santos）

Japan Beach Soccer National Team 3-1（1st 2-1, 2nd 0-0, 3rd 1-0）Italy Beach Soccer National Team

Scores
2'　GOTO Takasuke（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
7'　MOREIRA Ozu（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
10'　goal against（Italy Beach Soccer National Team）
31'　OBA Takaaki（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）

Line-ups
GK：TERUKINA Shingo
FP：MOREIRA Ozu, TABATA Teruki, OBA Takaaki, GOTO Takasuke

Substitutions
GK：KAWAI Yusuke
FP：ISO Hiroaki, HARAGUCHI Shotaro, NAKAHARA Yuki, AKAGUMA Takuya

Match Report

The Japan National Beach Soccer Team, who are participating in the Super Cup of Nations in Santos, São Paulo (Brazil), faced Italy in their second match of the competition on Saturday 22 October.

In the 2015 World Cup, the Japanese squad met Italy in the quarterfinals, where they lost the contest 2-3. This match has given the chance for the Asian champions to avenge their previous loss.

Japan kicked-off the game with the ball in the pouring rain. From the beginning of the match, the Japanese side took the initiative of the match.

In the 2nd minute, MOREIRA Ozu intercepted the ball and quickly passed to GOTO Takasuke, who in turn got into a one-on-one scoring chance with the opponents’ goalkeeper and fired a shot calmly into the net. 

Japan did not cease their offence. Moreira Ozu, who received a ball in the middle of the field, ran past the defender and cannoned a dazzling shot into the opponents’ goal, extending the lead to 2-0. 

However, in the 10th minute, the opponent netted an overhead shot directly from the ball thrown by the goalkeeper, cutting the lead into half.

In the second period, the game stayed in the balance, where both teams failed to capitalise on their scoring opportunities. The period ended scoreless and the game remained 2-1 in favour of the Japanese side.

In the third period, Italy attempted to equalise by putting pressure up front, but this strategy did not pay off for them. Instead, Japan successfully managed to evade away from their pressure and create scoring chances. In the 7th minute, from a well-constructed exchange up front, OBA Takaaki received a killer pass from AKAGUMA Takuya and found the net, stretching their advantage to 3-1.

In the closing minutes of the match, KAWAI Yusuke made a brilliant save and denied the chance of scoring for Italy. Japan defended tenaciously until the final whistle and shut down the opposing offensive efforts, winning their second match 3-1.

Japan will meet Mexico in their third and the last match of the competition at 8:50 local time on Sunday 23 October.

Players' Comments

FP #7  TABATA Teruki (Tokyo Lequios BS)
Frankly speaking, I was delighted that we avenged the World Cup loss against Italy today. However, compared to the match against Brazil, we did not perform well. Regardless of our performance, I take this result as a positive takeaway. We still do have the chance of winning the competition, and we will do our best, playing our style of football, against Mexico and win the match.

FP #8  OBA Takaaki (Dorsole Kitakyushu)
Looking back at the match today, we were able to score the opener, but failed to capitalise on numerous scoring chances and made the contest difficult for us. However, we need to take this result, winning three points, as a positive and make the necessary adjustments prior to the Mexico match tomorrow. Winning is a must, but I also like to focus on the overall performance.

Schedule

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