On Tuesday 27 September, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) played their second match of the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2022 against the Ecuador National Team at Dusseldorf Arena. Thanks to the penalty-kick saved by goalkeeper SCHMIDT Daniel (Sint-Truidense VV), Japan managed to end their last tour before finalising their roster for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ with a record of one win and one draw.

Aiming to add depth to their roster and further build their team's strength in anticipation of the World Cup starting in November, coach MORIYASU Hajime rotated the entire starting line-up from their match against the USA on Friday 23.

Maintaining the 4-2-3-1 formation, FURUHASHI Kyogo (Celtic FC) started up top with MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) in the centre, while MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC) and DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg) were placed in the flanks. SHIBASAKI Gaku (CD Leganes) and TANAKA Ao (Fortuna Dusseldorf) were paired to anchor the midfield.

At the back, TANIGUCHI Shogo (Kawasaki Frontale) and ITO Hiroki (VfB Stuttgart) were named as the two centre-backs while YAMANE Miki (Kawasaki Frontale) and NAGATOMO Yuto (FC Tokyo) started as the two fullbacks, with Schmidt in goal.

The match started with Ecuador taking the initiative, as Japan struggled to evade the intense pressure applied by the South American side who are also preparing ahead of the World Cup in Qatar. However, the Japanese side showcased a tenacious fight, including a system change late in the game, to keep the game scoreless and to earn a point.

Ecuador, who finished fourth in the highly competitive South American qualifiers, applied intense pressure on the Japanese midfield, and effectively utilised the width of the field to close in on the Japanese goal.

In the 20th minute, Moises CAICEDO responded to a loose ball to strike a shot, before Piero HINCAPIE and Romario IBARRA each made an attempt following a corner kick in the 22nd minute. Michael ESTRADA’s attempt in the 31st minute was called offside, and the shot taken by Ibarra went off the post.

Although Japan was forced to be in the defensive end for the majority of the first half, they gradually picked up their pace before halftime. In the 40th minute, Furuhashi intercepted the ball inside the box and struck a shot, but his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.

Following a scoreless first half, coach Moriyasu made the change to bring in UEDA Ayase (Cercle Brugge KSV) to start the second half. In the 56th minute, Minamino connected with a cutback delivered by Mitoma from the left side, only to see his effort sail wide of the goal.

In efforts to break the deadlock, Japan made a triple change in the 67th minute, bringing in KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt), SOMA Yuki (Nagoya Grampus), and ENDO Wataru (VfB Stuttgart) off the bench.

However, the next big opportunity was created by Ecuador, when Estrada earned a foul inside the Japanese penalty area in the 81st minute. Enner VALENCIA, who entered the match five minutes earlier, stepped up to take the spot kick, but Schmidt came up big to deny Ecuador's all-time top goal scorer. Schmidt made another big save moments later, when he parried Valencia’s header that nearly captured the upper corner of the goal.

YOSHIDA Maya (FC Schalke 04) and ITO Junya (Stade de Reims) were brought on in the 83rd minute to shift their system to a three-back formation with Ito and Ueda up top. Gaining momentum from this system change, Japan created close opportunities in the closing minutes, but fell short from finding the back of the net, as the match ended in a scoreless draw.

After finalising their roster for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Japan will have one last opportunity to play a training match against Canada in Dubai on Thursday 17 November, before entering Qatar to face Germany on Wednesday 23, Costa Rica on Sunday 27, and Spain on Thursday 1 December.

Coaches and Players’ Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We were suppressed for a long time and forced to play a tough match, but we are expecting matches like this in the group stage. The players fought well to keep the game scoreless while anticipating for our chance to attack. Ecuador displayed great intensity, technique, and skills to build their attacks, which made it very difficult to defend against. Although we were dominated in ball possession, the players played with great composure. We knew we were up against a strong opponent who we would not be able to dominate, but I still told my players during halftime that we needed to apply more pressure from the frontline.

We trained to keep the players on the same page, but it was hard to make the transition seamless after rotating the entire starting line-up. We were outplayed and made mistakes on some occasions, but we played well overall, and I am happy with the way our players made adjustments to improve the quality of their combinations. In terms of the team tactics, I feel like this was a very productive match to broaden the range of our options ahead of the World Cup.

It was disappointing that we couldn’t win, but if this were the World Cup, we would be heading into our third match with four points, which is not a bad situation. Through this highly competitive match, the players were able to build on their mutual understanding of where to attack the ball, how to apply pressure, and what to do with the ball after winning it. These matches proved that we could function as a team no matter who is on the pitch, and that finding alone gives us great confidence moving forward. We will continue to stive to keep clean sheets while also anticipating for our chances to score goals.

GK #23 SCHMIDT Daniel (Sint-Truidense VV/Belgium)
I needed to be stronger defending against corner kicks, but other than that, it felt like I was able to showcase a solid performance today. When facing the penalty kick, I made a conscious effort to distract the kicker as much as possible. I was already determined which way I wanted to go, and the ball came right on the cue. I am not entirely happy with the result, but for me it was definitely my best performance for the national team. It gives me a lot of confidence moving forward and I hope I can continue to showcase these kind of performances when I return to my club. The team has improved in this series of matches, and we have gained valuable experience on how to withstand matches against stronger opponents. I think the team was able to gain a lot of confidence from these two matches, and we want to build on that confidence when we face Canada before the World Cup. How much we can improve during that preparation period will be very important.

DF #3 TANIGUCHI Shogo (Kawasaki Frontale)
Ecuador was a very strong team. They played with great intensity and gave us little margin for error in the midfield, which made them a great opponent to play against ahead of the World Cup. It is disappointing that we couldn’t win the match. But we now know that this is the kind of match we're going to face in the World Cup, so it's up to us to come up with ways to outperform our opponents in these kind of situations.

DF #5 NAGATOMO Yuto (FC Tokyo)
Watching Ecuador's South American qualifier against Argentina, we felt that their level and intensity was certainly among the top teams in South America. I strongly believe that the stronger my opponents are, the more I can show my value, and although there are lots of challenges, I was confident that I won't be beaten. We played much better in the second half, partly because the intensity of our opponents dropped a bit, but also because we held discussions to improve our positionings. This was a tough match especially after we rotated the entire line-up since our match against the USA and also because we were facing a tougher opponent, but that is why I made conscious efforts to fire-up my teammates with my actions. I think it is an essential part of the game, as I have seen many players over the years, who made me think “He would be a great teammate, but tough one to play against.”

MF/FW #6 ENDO Wataru (VfB Stuttgart/Germany)
Ecuador were a good team with high intensity. It was very difficult playing against them because they fought hard for the ball and had many players who could hold the ball. They were also capable of keeping their plays simple to evade our pressure. We were definitely saved by Schmidt, but nonetheless, it was great that we were able to keep a clean sheet today. We could have done a better job in offence and seeing how many chances we created towards the end of the match, this match really could have gone either way. Watching the match from the bench, I have noticed a lot of things during the first half, so I made conscious efforts to utilise those information. It was great that we were able to make the adjustments against a team who played with a lot of intensity. More and more players are now playing for clubs abroad, and I think we are seeing more depth in our squad.

MF/FW #10 MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco/France)
It was great that we didn’t lose, but we saw a lot of flaws that need to be addressed. We struggled to control the ball because of the pitch condition, and we also had a hard time delivering the ball to our forwards because we were not able to keep a good distance between each other. I need to be able to control the ball better and get myself involved with the team’s offence. There will be chances created as long as I face forward, so I hope to raise the quality of my game to be able to capitalise on the few opportunities I get. Also, as a team, I think we can solve our problems by focusing on how to build our attacks and how to bring out the best in each other.

MF/FW #15 KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany)
Seeing how aggressively the opponents challenged the ball, I made conscious efforts to position myself in an open space or spots where I had an advantage over the opponents. I was brought onto the pitch as a substitute during a tough stint, but I feel like I was able to create some opportunities and provided a good option for the team. From here on, it is important for me to continue playing well in the matches in front of me, which will lead to good form and a spot on the national team, so I want to achieve good results at the level I am playing now.

MF/FW #17 TANAKA Ao (Fortuna Dusseldorf/Germany)
Although I didn’t play in our first match, it felt like Ecuador played with a different type of aggression and a higher intensity level than the USA, especially in the first half. Partly due to the pitch condition, we played a bit too passively, but I am glad that we were at least able to keep a clean sheet. Whether we keep our opponents scoreless in the first half or not makes a huge difference, so that was something we all kept in mind as a team. However, we were not able to produce results offensively, both as a team and as an individual. That is an aspect I strongly feel I need to improve on. We were able to create more chances after shifting to a three-back formation, but we still need to raise the quality of our plays both in the centre and in the flanks.

MF/FW #18 MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC/England)
During this tour, the team has worked on simulating the group stage matches while conducting tactical exercises that allowed the players to share a mutual understanding amongst themselves, which is a huge progress compared to our previous call-up in June. However, it was evident through these two matches that the players lacked responsiveness on the pitch. We were given the opportunity to face a wonderful opponent, so we must make the most of this experience to get better. From here on, I will focus on the things I can do to improve myself, while keeping in mind that the top priority is to raise my condition while avoiding injuries ahead of the World Cup.

MF/FW #21 DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg/Germany)
We were given the opportunity to face a very strong opponent that could simulate the level of a World Cup match. Although we struggled in the first half, we told each other during halftime that “we would play matches like these at the real World Cup,” which allowed us to approach the second half as if we were playing in the actual tournament. We had our chances, so it was a good 90 minutes, not a negative one by any means. This time I was given the start and had to work in tighter spaces, so I was more focused on the details of each play. Although we managed to play better towards the end of the first half, we still need to improve our combinations overall. We showed great intensity in defence, but we still have a lot of work to do offensively. I know we can do better.

MF/FW #26 UEDA Ayase (Cercle Brugge KSV/Belgium)
I don’t think I was able to showcase a performance that can lead the team to victory. Because I am now playing with a higher intensity in Europe than when I was in Japan, I feel like I have not fallen behind in terms of the physical battles and speed. However, I need to be a more dominant player in the final third, be able to hold the ball and take more shots. If I can be more aggressive to force my own shots or make tenacious plays to connect the ball to my teammates, I feel like I can create more chances overall. Today we played in a match where we were overwhelmed by our opponents in a scoreless situation, which can occur during the World Cup. The fact that we were able to keep a clean sheet while testing different formations was great, so we will continue to build on what we have been working on.

Gustavo ALFARO, Head Coach of Ecuador National Team
Although this was a friendly match, both teams played with great intensity and showed strong desire to win the match. Japan is a well organised team with physical strengths, and they displayed great skills, passion, and coordination to improve their play in the second half. In a tense match like this, one mistake can cost the team a goal. We tried to apply pressure on the four attackers and the two midfielders to exploit the open space in the flanks, but Japan made the adjustments to close down the gap. We still managed to earn a penalty, but couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity. There are 45 days left until the World Cup. After we play our final prep-match, we would like to select the best 26 players for the main competition.

Date: Tue. 27 September 2022 *13:55 (20:55 Japan time)
Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs Ecuador National Team
Venue: Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
Match Information

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