Thailand 5s International 4 Nation Futsal Championship 2016 3rd Match vs Iran Futsal National Team
2016-8-23 (Tue.) - 17:00   Playing Time: 40min. (20min.×2)
Bangkok Arena (Bangkok/Thailand)

Japan Futsal National Team   2-4 (0-3, 2-1)   Iran Futsal National Team

Scores
4'   Goal against（Iran Futsal National Team）
7'   Goal against（Iran Futsal National Team）
16'   Goal against（Iran Futsal National Team）
27'   Goal against（Iran Futsal National Team）
30'   NIBUYA Kazuhiro (Japan Futsal National Team)
31'   SHIMIZU Kazuya (Japan Futsal National Team)

Starting Five
GK: IWANAGA Taiki
FP: MINAMOTO Akira, UEMATSU Koto, YAMADA Jiei, SHIMIZU Kazuya (Cap)

Substututes
GK: SAKA Keisuke
FP: NIBUYA Kazuhiro, YONEDA Yoshitaka, WAKIYAMA Ren, ITO Keita, OBATA Kiichi, YAMAGIRI Shogo, MATSUBARA Tomohiro,UDAGAWA Yuto

Match Report

The Japan Futsal National Team played the third match of the Thailand 5s International 4 Nation Futsal Championship 2016 against Iran on Tuesday 23 August at Bangkok Arena in Thailand. 

Coach SUZUKI encouraged the players before sending them to the pitch: “let’s perform our best today. It’s the last day of the tournament and it’s a great opportunity to play against a strong team. Let’s play aggressively from the beginning to grab our chance.”

Japan pressed Iran up front at the beginning of the game. However, Iran created a goal-scoring opportunity first. In the 4th minute, the opponents got through on the left side to strike the opener. This was followed by another goal in the 7th minute. Despite numerous opportunities, Japan could not find the back of the net and conceded another from a counter-attack in the 16th minute. The game went into the second half 3-0.

In the 27th minute of the second half, the opponent made a quick turn and struck a goal, building a four-goal lead. Japan never gave up and earned a penalty kick after 30 minutes. NIBUYA Kazuhiro calmly scored from the spot, followed by another goal by SHIMIZU Kazuya one minute later, closing the gap to two goals. Japan finally found their rhythm. They went close to Iran’s goal many times before the final whistle, but the team could not add to the score. Japan lost the match 4-2.

As a result, the Japan Futsal National Team ended in fourth place in the championship.

【Thailand 5s International 4 Nation Futsal Championship 2016】
Sat. 20 - 18:15 △2-2 vs Thailand
Sun. 21 - 15:30 ●0-9 vs Kazakhstan
Tue. 23 - 17:00 ●2-4  vs Iran
Venue : Bangkok Arena
*Local Time

Coach and Players' Comments

SUZUKI Ryuji, Coach
Prior to today’s match, we worked on fixing the problems found in the previous two games (against Thailand and Kazakhstan) in yesterday’s training session. I believe that we played with a strong spirit and determination to win. The players worked hard and performed at full stretch. 

Through this tournament, our young players had an excellent experience, playing against top-level teams in Europe. I saw a great potential in their future. I know we have to raise the level of the Japanese national team to be competitive against the top teams in the world. So I’ll do my best to assemble the team, so that we can claim the title of the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship 2017 next year.

FP ＃11  SHIMIZU Kazuya (FUGADOR SUMIDA)
We finished in fourth place after three games. We made numerous mistakes, which we shouldn’t have if we were to win these matches, and ended up conceding plenty of goals. We found many issues that needed to be sorted out. Having said that, I’d like to point out that we challenged as well, which is a positive. As a team, we need to share the same vision, preparing for the coming AFC U-20 Futsal Championship in May next year. Lastly, “thank you for coming all the way to the site and supporting us!”

FP ＃6  UEMATSU Koto (P.S.T.C. LONDRINA)
During this championship, there were three notable differences between us and the foreign teams; the strong pressure from the opponents, the timing of stealing the ball, and the power of individual players, all of which I have never experienced in Japan. Although we failed to win any of the three games, we learned a lot as individuals and as a team. I’d like to capitalize on these experiences for my future as a futsal player.

FP ＃14  YAMADA Jiei (Deucao Kobe Asupiranchi)
In the match against Iran, I think we were able to pass the ball around in good rhythm. I wanted to score in this match, but I couldn’t. I am not satisfied with my performance. Through this trip, I learned what we could and could not do in international matches. I’d like to bring back what I experienced to improve myself for the future. 

Schedule

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