On 23 June, with one day to go before Japan’s last group stage match against Colombia at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Alberto Zaccheroni, the head coach of the Japan national team, appeared at a press conference at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá. Zaccheroni appeared confident ahead of the game.
The Japan national team lost their first match 2-1 against Côte d'Ivoire, played out a 0-0 draw in their second match with Greece, and is currently sitting in third place in Group C. To make the knockout stage, Japan has to beat Colombia and wait for the result of the game between Côte d'Ivoire and Greece, which will be held at the same time.

The head coach Zaccheroni noted: ‘I understand it is now partially out of our hands. All we need is to focus on our own game.’
Colombia ranks eighth in FIFA World Rankings and it’s their fifth World Cup since 1998. Since 2012 they have improved greatly under their head coach José Pékerman, who is the former head coach of the Argentine national team, and qualified in second place in South America. Colombia beat Greece 3-0, and won 2-1 against Côte d'Ivoire to qualify for the last sixteen.
The head coach Zaccheroni commented: ‘The Colombia match is crucial for us. We must win. It’s the only way. It’s vital not to give them any space and to play as a united team more than ever. Our team is full of positive energy.’
The team flew from their base in the outskirts of Itu in São Paulo to Cuiabá, in the centre of Brazil. They held an hour-long open practice session at the stadium under the blazing sun in heat reminiscent of midsummer in Japan.
The head coach noted enthusiastically: ‘the players were motivated and concentrated very well in today’s practice session. If we play the game with the right spirit, which we showed so many times in the past, anything can happen.’

The match against Colombia will kickoff at 4:00 pm on 24 June (at 5:00 am on 25 June Japan Time).

Comments

Alberto ZACCHERONI Head Coach
In the last few days, we’ve been focusing on regaining the vital balance for our team, which was lacking in the first and the second matches. We have readjusted our playing style from the previous two games to go back to the style that has brought us success in the past. Colombia won against strong teams in the South America qualifying round, making full use of each player. Japan is not the best team in the world, yet if each of us plays well exploiting our own individual strengths, we can beat the world’s strongest team. That’s what I always tell the players. I believe it’s going to be a very interesting match to see how we challenge and how the opponents react.

HASEBE Makoto（Eintracht Frankfurt／Germany）
To win, we need to play our style of football. We have to show physical speed, mental agility and intensity more in our game though. I believe if we play well, the crowd will notice that. I’d like to face the match balanced somewhere between tension and relaxation. I heard that many of the Colombian supporters would be at the stadium tomorrow, unlike the previous two matches, where we could play as if it were a home match. We will have many supporters from Japan as well as from Brazil and fans in Japan. That encourages us a lot and I’d like to play for them.

ENDO Yasuhito（Gamba Osaka）
I think it’s essential to take the initiative in the game as much as possible, retaining possession, because it has a massively different impact on our stamina if, on top of the heat, we have to chase the ball. We need to sharpen our concentration all the time, as some miracle might happen in the final minutes of a game just like America’s match yesterday. Each time we have to think carefully to choose the best option for our team. Sometimes it’s good to take our time, playing slowly.

KAKITANI Yoichiro（Cerezo Osaka）
All I need is to prepare myself perfectly for my chance. When I play, the heat doesn’t matter. We’d better be ready to run for 90 minutes. I believe we’re well prepared for the victory.

Jose Pekerman（Colombia National Team Head Coach）
Group C is very competitive, so I thought no team would advance to the next round with one match remaining. We were lucky enough to do so. However, Colombia faces a dangerous team tomorrow. I know Japan has won their crucial games before. Japanese players are technically good and also pacey. They will show their best performance because they need a win. Anything can happen, so we need to show our quality. I’ll decide who will play, considering what is good for the whole squad, but all players are in good condition and completely prepared.

JFA-TV

Schedule

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