On Tuesday 19 November, SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) played their sixth match of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Asian Qualifiers in Xiamen, China, where they faced the China PR National Team.

They had won 7-0 at home in the first leg of the final qualifying round, but this time they were playing away from home in front of more than 60,000 Chinese fans. On top of that, their opponents were on a two-game winning streak and keen to avenge their defeat, with head coach MORIYASU Hajime warning at the previous day's press conference that “this won't be an easy game.”

Japan, who made five changes to the starting line-up that had played against Indonesia four days earlier, struggled to break down the home side's tight defence early on, but gradually gained the upper hand by moving the ball around and making use of the spaces. Then, in the 39th minute, it was KUBO Takefusa’s (Real Sociedad) left-corner kick that broke the deadlock.

OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen) leapt to the near post to head in the corner. Then, during additional time of the first half, Japan scored again from a right corner kick. This time it was ITO Junya (Stade de Reims) who delivered the ball and MACHIDA Koki (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise) flicked it in at the near post setting up ITAKURA Kou (Borussia MG) for a diving header at the far post to make it 2-0 for Japan from two corner kicks in the first half.

As in their previous five matches in the final round, Japan started the game in a 3-4-2-1 formation, and even with the change of players, they showed their usual strength. The backline, which consisted of goalkeeper SUZUKI Zion (Parma Calcio 1913), SEKO Ayumu (Grasshopper Club Zurich), who was making his first appearance in the final round, Itakura and Machida showed great composure in the first half. The wing-backs Ito and NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims) and the holding midfielders ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) and TANAKA Ao (Leeds United) also contributed at both ends of the pitch.

MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) and Kubo, the two attacking midfielders, made themselves available to collect the ball from the backline while keeping a good distance from lone striker Ogawa to create chances. Despite their early struggles in attack, they proved to be the difference as the game wore on.

However, Japan conceded a goal from a counterattack in the 48th minute when they lost possession in the build-up to an attack. With their two wing-backs unable to return in time, China PR created a numerical advantage deep in Japan territory, which culminated in LIN Liangming scoring in the heart of the box.

“Of course, it would have been better if I had stopped the play, but it just shows how difficult it is to play in the Asian qualifiers. We have no international matches until March, so I want to make sure I improve myself before then,” said Seko, reflecting on the goal.

Despite conceding their second goal of the final round, Japan responded immediately in the 54th minute when Ogawa converted Ito's cross for his second goal of the match. With a two-goal lead, Japan showed great composure in dealing with their opponents' counterattacks and made effective use of their substitutes to close out the game.

In the match between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which was played at the same time at a different venue, Indonesia won 2-0, moving Japan 10 points clear of the third-placed team in Group C. If Japan win their next match against Bahrain on 20 March next year, they will be guaranteed at least second place in the group and automatic qualification for the World Cup.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We were able to win, but it was a really tough game. The players were prepared for a tough battle and while the other team had the momentum, we held on and although we didn't create many chances, we were able to seize the momentum of the game from a set-piece. I thought the players really showed their resilience to get this result.
Our objective is to qualify for the World Cup, so it would be beneficial if that could be achieved as soon as possible. However, this team has been striving to become the best in the world, so our immediate focus is on winning the next match. As always, we will continue to work together as a team to make progress towards our goal, one step at a time.

DF #4 ITAKURA Kou (Borussia MG/Germany)
We knew that goals from set pieces would be important in a game like this, so it was great that we managed to score two. I think the timing was good too. It's difficult for defenders to stay with their mark in that situation, so I was always anticipating for an opportunity like that, and it finally came. Of course, we have to reflect on the moment when we conceded a goal, but we should also give ourselves credit for how quickly we scored the next goal after conceding. As defenders, we obviously want to keep a clean sheet, but we were also prepared for a difficult game and the unexpected in away games. As a team, the most important thing is that, despite conceding a goal, we managed to win 3-1 in a difficult away game.

DF #22 SEKO Ayumu (Grasshopper Club Zurich/Switzerland)
I thought it would be a game that would decide whether I could continue to represent my country, so I'm glad we got all three points. However, I have to think about the decision I made when we conceded the goal. If I had taken a step back to stop the ball that the opposition had played through, the result would have been different. Basically, when we press, we play man to man, so if someone had been able to grab the player behind me, we wouldn't have conceded a goal, but it would have been better if I had stopped the play in the first place. There are no more games for the national team until March, but I want to work hard to improve myself once I get back to my club.

MF/FW #19 OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen/Netherlands)
In the first half, we really struggled to take control of the game as we made a lot of mistakes and couldn't get into the opposition's half. However, set pieces are one of Japan's strengths, and I think it was a big point that we were able to score the first goal from a corner kick. I think the ace of the team has to be able to score when the team is struggling and when they really need a goal, so I think it was great that I was able to score the first goal when we were struggling and then score another goal to stop the momentum of the opponents when they were starting to gain momentum. But there are still a lot of things we need to work on, so we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.

AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road To 26 [11/19]

Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs China PR National Team
Date: Tue. 19 November 2024, 19:00 (Tue. 19 November, 21:00 Japan time)
Venue: Xiamen Egret Stadium (Xiamen, China)
Tournament information