On 24 September, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team, who has been attending a training camp in Danang, Vietnam prior to the Asian Beach Games, held training sessions to be ready for the first match against Afghanistan on the following day. 

The sessions, which started at 9:00, were lighter in preparation for the match tomorrow. After a brief warming-up, players checked on various offensive patterns, including shooting practice from various combination plays and counterattacks starting from the goalkeeper. At the end of the sessions, the team had a five-a-side game.

In the night time, the opening ceremony of the Asian Beach Games was held. In the occasional heavy rain, Vietnamese traditional music and dance were performed, and the players from more than 40 countries or regions marched into the stadium. MOREIRA Ozu led the Japanese team as the flag-bearer. 

On 25 September, the Asian Beach Games will commence. Japan’s match against Afghanistan is the opening game of beach soccer. This will be held at 14:30 (local time) at the Second Official Pitch of the Asian Beach Games. 

Players' Comments

GK #1  TERUKINA Shingo (Sol Mar Praia)
Today we had training sessions at the match venue. We checked our tactics as well as had shooting practice simulating different game-time situations. The sand of the match venue is shallower than usual, and both our opponents and we can run more easily, which may make the game very challenging. Japan has never won the title yet in the Asian Beach Games, which will begin tomorrow. It is our first time to play against Afghanistan, so we want to focus on what we have been doing—our tactics and game management. In my experience, the first match is difficult to win for any team, so I just want to concentrate on getting the good result. 

FP #9  AKAGUMA Takuya (Dorsole Kitakyushu)
The matches of the Asian Beach Games are finally starting. Last time, we missed the chance to be the champion and ended as the runner-up, which was very disappointing. We are given the opportunity to avenge, so we are eager to win the title. Prior to the match tomorrow, we had shooting exercises and intra-squad games. The weather was the hottest since we have arrived in Vietnam. I believe that playing in such a hot weather will be a positive for the upcoming matches. We will be united as a team and win the title. As a player, I will do my best to score as many goals as possible and help the team. I appreciate your support.

Schedule

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

5th Asian Beach Games (2016/Danang)

2016-9-25(Sun.)～2016-10-2(Sun.)
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