On Sunday, 14 January, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) played their first group stage match of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, where they came from behind to defeat Vietnam 4-2.

Seeking their fifth Asian Cup title, Japan started in a 4-2-3-1 formation with SUZUKI Zion (Sint-Truidense VV) in goal and a back line comprising SUGAWARA Yukinari (AZ Alkmaar), ITAKURA Kou (Borussia MG), TANIGUCHI Shogo (Al-Rayyan SC) and ITO Hiroki (VfB Stuttgart). MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP) and ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) anchored the midfield, while ITO Junya (Stade de Reims), MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) and NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims) were deployed below lone striker HOSOYA Mao (Kashiwa Reysol).

The opening goal came in the 10th minute, when Minamino pounced on a deflection of Sugawara’s shot off a corner kick and calmly slotted home the ball to give Japan the lead.

However, Vietnam, led by former Japan National Team coach Philippe TROUSSIER, were undaunted by the goal and continued to display their tenacity at both ends of the pitch. Their persistence paid off in the 15th minute when NGUYEN Dinh Bac’s header off a left corner kick flew over the head of Suzuki and into the net.

Gaining momentum from the equaliser, Vietnam scored another goal from a set piece in the 32nd minute, when BUI Hoang Viet Anh’s towering header forced Suzuki to parry the ball, allowing PHAM Tuan Hai to convert the loose ball to put Vietnam in the lead. For Japan, it was the first time they had conceded two goals since their match against Turkiye in the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2023 last September.

Despite surrendering the lead, Japan showed great composure in maintaining possession, which led to the equaliser in the 44th minute when Endo received the ball from Morita before sending the final pass to set up Minamino’s goal.

Japan regained the lead in additional time of the first half when Nakamura unleashed a thunderous strike from the edge of the box that found the top corner of the Vietnam goal. It was Nakamura's sixth goal in six appearances for the national team.

With a 3-2 lead at the break, head coach MORIYASU Hajime brought UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord) off the bench to start the second half, before bringing on DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg) and shifting Ito Junya on the left just after the hour mark.

SANO Kaishu (Kashima Antlers) and MAIKUMA Seiya (Cerezo Osaka) were introduced in the 77th minute before KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad) came on in the 84th minute.

Moments after making their final substitution, Japan scored their fourth goal in the 85th minute when Kubo assisted Ueda's goal to make it 4-2. The victory extended Japan's winning streak to a record 10 matches, dating back to June last year.

Japan wore mourning badges on their arms for the victims of the recent earthquake on the Noto peninsula, and after the match the players circled the pitch with a banner reading “Power to the affected areas” to send messages of encouragement to the affected areas.

In this competition, the top two finishers from each group and the top four teams among the third-placed finishers will advance to the Round of 16. Japan are scheduled to face Iraq on Friday, 19 January and Indonesia on Wednesday, 24 January.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
It was great to win and get three points to start the group stage. It was a reminder of the difficulties of starting a competition and playing in Asia. The players played with great composure for 90 minutes despite the difficult battle and I think that helped us to come back after conceding the lead. It was also good to see the players stay focused and really fight as a team. The players played with the intention of sending a message to the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake that we are all in this together to overcome the tragedy. We knew it was going to be a tough challenge, knowing that coach Troussier had built a well-organised team around the physical strength and technique of the Vietnamese players. The players' resilience in the first half led to a second half in which we addressed the defensive lapses and made the adjustments to apply more pressure. We hope to use the experience of the whole game to improve our chances of winning the tournament.

GK #23 SUZUKI Zion (Sint-Truidense VV/Belgium)
It was a difficult game, but I am happy that we won. Personally, I have to reflect on the fact that we conceded two goals from set pieces. I needed to be quicker in my preparation and the team needed to be more organised when we conceded the first goal, while the second goal came from a mistake on my part, as I had my opponent in my sights and tried to parry the ball further away from goal. I could have cleared the ball better, so that is something I need to work on. The game didn't go the way we expected, but the backline kept communicating with each other even after conceding the goals, which helped us come from behind in the first half. We also managed to make the necessary adjustments in the second half, so we hope to build on today's performance to do better next time.

DF #2 SUGAWARA Yukinari (AZ Alkmaar/Netherlands)
Vietnam came well prepared and did a really good job of moving the ball around and closing spaces as a team. For us to beat opponents like that, I felt we needed to improve our overall quality of play and work even more closely together as a team. I think we are very fortunate to have realised that after the win and we want to build on that both as a team and as individuals. Vietnam were definitely in control of the game in the first half, and we were a little too passive against them. But the goals from Minamino and Nakamura really turned the game around for us, so we are really grateful to our attackers.

DF #3 TANIGUCHI Shogo (Al-Rayyan SC/Qatar)
We knew how difficult the first game of the tournament would be, but we ended up conceding two goals from set-pieces to give away the lead, which is something we cannot afford to do. It was a timely reminder that conceding a goal can give your opponents a huge boost. The goals were a wake-up call for us and we managed to keep our composure and play with patience to keep creating chances. We need to be more alert in set-pieces and fight for possession. There was a lot to think about today, including the way we conceded set-pieces in the first place. The game didn't go the way we wanted, but we still managed to win it. I think we were all reminded of the difficulties of playing in Asia.

MF/FW #6 ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC/England)
It is always difficult to play in the first game of the tournament, especially with our opponents coming out with a lot of momentum and intensity. We knew they were going to keep the ball moving, but they had a lot more possession than we expected, which prevented us from applying enough pressure, but we were still able to turn the game around by making the most of our players' individual abilities. In the second half, when our opponents started to slow down, I think we were able to be more decisive about when we let them have the ball and when we took it away from them, rather than pressuring them all the time. As a result, we were able to score four goals to win the match, which is what matters in the end. (Regarding the post-match banner for the Noto Peninsula earthquake) We talked about what we could do as a team and decided to put up a banner and wear a mourning badge. We wanted to deliver good results and bring good news to the affected areas.

MF/FW #8 MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco/France)
The first half was very difficult as our opponents took the lead after we scored the opener, but I think it was good that we managed to regain the lead in the first half and show our strength as a team. The first game was very important, so we were more than happy to get three points from the game. I really wanted to contribute to the team by scoring, so I'm happy to have scored today, but I couldn't have done it without the efforts of my team-mates at both ends. The most important thing is to win these games and that's what we always aim for. Having played against Vietnam at the youth level, I knew they were a very strong team, but I was still very impressed by not only their defence but also the level of their attacking players in today's game.

MF/FW #13 NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims/France)
I just tried to hit the ball hard when I scored the goal. When we had the ball, they always tried to press us compactly with two or more players and they were always looking for an opportunity to counter as soon as they got the ball. It was clear what they wanted to do, and they made it a very tough game, so it was great to score a goal like that. I thought the opposition would be wary of the right where Ito (Junya) is, leaving the left open, so I was always looking for opportunities. Although I wasn't able to get the ball deep into the attacking third, I'm happy that I was able to create a chance. I have never scored a goal for the national team like I did today, where I just took my chance and it worked. I always think about the next move before I receive the ball, but today I was just very lucky that it went my way.

MF/FW #20 KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad/Spain)
I didn't play in the last game, and I only joined the team two days ago, so I didn't know what to expect, but I'm glad I was able to get results in the 10 minutes I was given. I hope to make a conscious effort to improve my performance in our next game. I think Vietnam are one of the best teams in Asia in terms of possession. They placed the ball brilliantly with their first touch, which allowed them to escape our pressure. To be honest, I felt that coach Troussier executed the game plan we were trying to play for today's game. They exploited our weaknesses to take the initiative and although we were able to make the necessary adjustments in the second half, we had to be able to make those adjustments in the first half. They were tactically sound and played with great intensity. I felt overwhelmed just watching from the bench. But we were able to win the game, which is the most important thing, so we will take that as a positive and move on.

Philippe TROUSSIER, Head Coach of Vietnam National Team
Against a strong opponent like Japan, we wanted to play with discipline and show our determination, so I am pleased with the performance and attitude of our players. We tried to keep the pressure on and not give Japan too much time to think, which is not an easy task and requires a lot of discipline and strength in many areas. Although we were not quite at the same level as Japan, I feel we showed our potential and I feel positive about that. I think it gave the players confidence and made them feel that they were on the right track with this new approach. For us, this game against Japan was part of the process of getting through to the next round, and we managed to score two goals in that game without picking up any yellow or red cards. It is much better to lose 2-4 than 0-2. We need to win against Indonesia to get through the group stage and this was a good preparation for that.

YouTube(AFC):#AsianCup2023 | Group D : Japan 4 - 2 Vietnam

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023

Tournament dates: Fri. 12 January - Sat. 10 February 2024

Group stage
1st Match: Sun. 14 January 14:30 ◯4-2 vs Vietnam National Team
2nd Match: Fri. 19 January 14:30 vs Iraq National Team
3rd Match: Wed. 24 January 14:30 vs Indonesia National Team
※Dates and times are listed in local time.

Tournament information