The final match day of the Beach Soccer International Friendly Tournament took place at Okura Beach Park on Sunday 29 September.

After defeating the Tahiti Beach Soccer National Team in penalties on the day before, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team faced the runners-up of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013, the Spain Beach Soccer National Team. With the third and final day of the tournament being welcomed by great weather, the match attracted a crowd of 1,374.

The first period saw both teams attempting acrobatic bicycle kicks to threaten each other’s goal, as AKAGUMA Takuya (#2) and OKUYAMA Masanori (#11) made their attempts to score the opener, while Spain’s Salvador ARDIL NAVARRO (#11), who scored four goals in the match against Tahiti, struck back-to-back bicycle kicks to threaten the Japanese goal. With great saves made by the Japanese goalkeeper TERUKINA Shingo (#1), and the persistent effort showcased by both sides, the first period ended scoreless.

The opening goal came in the first play of the second period. The goal was scored by MOREIRA Ozu (#10), who struck a powerful shot from the kick-off, giving Japan a 1-0 lead. After Spain scored the equaliser in the 14th minute, Japan retook the lead in the 16th minute, when YAMAUCHI Shusei (#9) struck the cross bar with his bicycle kick, which was followed up by OBA Takaaki (#7) to convert the loose ball.

However, Spain rallied back from the 20th minute mark, as they scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. Each team exchanged one more goal before the end of the second period, as the match entered the third period with Japan trailing 3-5.

The third period saw Spain taking control of the match as they showed quick ball movements to sustain their lead. In efforts to level the match, Japan made their final push to score goals, but it was the Spanish side who captured the next goal, as they made it 3-6 with a goal scored in the 34th minute to shut the doors on Japan. Despite the intense and heated battle showcased by the two sides, the match saw just one foul apiece, which made it a match with very few freekicks.

Following the match, a ceremony was held to commemorate Yamauchi’s 100th cap with the Japan Beach Soccer National Team. After being presented with a commemorative uniform and a flower bouquet, Yamauchi gave a speech, “with the support of my family and many people surrounding me, I was able to welcome my 100th match. I am so grateful for all the support.” The veteran player reflected on his journey with the national team and mentioned, “among the teams I was involved with, the 2009 team, who competed in the Asian qualifiers and the World Cup, left the strongest impression. We had a deep understanding about each other, and the team showed great maturity.” Yamauchi continued by sharing his experience with the current team, “as I get old, my role within the team has gradually changed. This team has the unity similar to the 2009 team. I will give my best efforts to contribute for the team to construct an even better team than the past teams.” Coach RAMOS Ruy followed by stating, “this was a huge milestone for him, so I am very disappointed that we couldn’t win the match for him.” The Japanese general added, “however, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team does not play matches in a regular basis, so it makes this accomplishment that much more significant.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

RAMOS Ruy, Coach (Japan Beach Soccer National Team)
We are grateful to be given with this opportunity to play in such wonderful tournament. With so many people attending the match to support us, we are very disappointed that we couldn’t give our crowd the victory. We must do a better job in possessing the ball when we have the lead. The players might have felt rushed or nervous at times. There are many things we can learn from this loss. I hope that our players will feed off of this experience and strive to reach higher levels ahead of the World Cup.

FP #9 YAMAUCHI Shusei (Tokyo Verdy BS)
Although we knew how our opponent was going to approach the match, we weren’t able to make action against them in today’s match. We didn’t create enough action in our offence, and we oftentimes ended up finding ourselves in tough situations. It felt like we were doing a great job in defence, so we just have to heighten the quality of our offence. We saw many people attending today’s match, and although we weren’t able to provide a positive result, I will assure you that we have not reached our peak yet. We will continue to work hard to reach higher standards ahead of the World Cup, so please stay tuned for our performance at the world stage.

FP #10 MOREIRA Ozu (Tokyo Verdy BS)
We managed to start the match with great intensity, but we started to make more mistakes as the match progressed. A mistake can lead to an opportunity for the opponent. The Spain Beach Soccer National Team is a very clever team, so after taking a two-goal lead, they made us chase the ball in the third period. We must remember to not make the same mistake, but at the same time, we must reset our minds ahead of the World Beach Games and the Intercontinental Cup. We must give our best efforts to prepare ourselves ahead of the World Cup.

Joaquin ALONSO GONZALEZ, Coach (Spain Beach Soccer National Team)
Japan is a very strong team, who will be competing at the World Cup. They consist with many talented players with lots of experience. After reviewing the match between Japan and Tahiti, we felt that the key in this match was to minimise our mistakes against them. We entered the match with a strong intention to take control of the game, while anticipating for our opportunities to score goals. Our players did a great job to execute our game plan, which helped us earn this victory.

Schedule

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

International Friendly Tournament

Tournament Dates: Fri. 27 - Sun. 29 September 2019
Tournament Venue: Okura Beach Park, Hyogo

Tournament Information