On Friday 19 January, the U-21 Japan National Team faced  the U-23 Uzbekistan National Team in the quarterfinal of the AFC U-23 Championship China 2018 and with the 4-0 defeat Japan came short of making their semi-final appearance.

Japan came out with almost the exact starting line-up as they did in the second group-stage match against Thailand. Defender KOGA Taiyo was the only player given consecutive starts following their third group-stage match against DPR Korea.

Japan started the game strong, actively creating chances early on. Just two minutes into the game, midfielder FUJITANI So took the ball up the right flank making a cross towards Forward TAGAWA Kyosuke in the middle, who tried to head the ball but was cleared by the opposing defender. In the sixth minute, ENDO Keita was awarded a free-kick after penetrating the left flank. In the 19th minute, TAKAGI Akito threaded a pass between defenders, but could not reach his teammate. However, as the game progressed, pressure applied by the Uzbekistan side intensified, forcing Japan to make mistakes allowing Uzbekistan to press even further. Coach MORIYASU Hajime reflected post-match, “Our opponents were able to build their momentum by punishing our mistakes, and gained psychological edge against us.”

In the 31st minute, Japan conceded the opening goal when a loose ball following a corner-kick reached Uzbekistan’s Sidikov who struck a shot just outside the box. Three minutes later, Khamdamov extended the lead capitalizing on a passing error conceded by the Japanese defence line. Then on the 39th minute, Yakhshiboev received a long feed on the right flank, making multiple cut backs, shaking off the Japanese defence before scoring with a left footed shot. In a span of eight minutes, Japan allowed three goals. INOUE recalled after the game saying “We couldn’t reset our mind-set after the mistakes and the goals we gave up.”

Second half saw Japan coming out with strong intentions to get themselves on the score board. However, Yakhshiboev once again scored on the 47th minute, putting Uzbekistan in a further lead when he received a long ball which he calmly cut across the defender before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper. Japan’s MIYOSHI Koji and HATATE Reo were sent on the pitch as substitutes, both aggressively taking shots to change the momentum. The match, however, ended without the Japanese side’s efforts ever materialising, with the final score of 4-0. With the loss, Japan ended their run in the tournament at the quarterfinals. Coach Moriyasu spoke to his players after the match, “This is where we stand at this moment. We have to accept this fact and move on. It’s up to us to turn this painful experience into a positive, we need to feed off of this to make progress in the future. ”

Match details

A trip to Paraguay awaits the U-21 Japan National Team in March. As each clubs in the J-League starts their training camps, players will continue to compete for a spot in their club as well as a spot for the next national team selection.

Coach's and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach
The 4-0 result speaks for itself. I think it’s an accurate indicator for both individual and team level, compared to our opponents. We started the game well, but as time went by we started to give away turn-overs, and getting counter attacked, resulting in us having less possession and space. We need to be better under pressure when we possess the ball, and the supporting players must also improve on their decision makings. Throughout the tournament we were able to deepen our understandings of our team-concept, but have lots to improve on, especially against opponents like today. Our weakness were exposed in this game, but we were also able to show our quality. Players worked well together, showing good mentality until the very end. We just need to add more quality to this foundation so that we can play our game against any opponents in the future.

DF #20 KOGA Taiyo (Kashiwa Reysol)
I have to say that I am very disappointed and also feel ashamed. In every aspect of the game they were better than us. That includes the build up, fifty-fifty situations, and the pace of each plays. While we struggled to take control of the match, we also lacked the commitment to do whatever it takes to defend. We also couldn’t build our rhythm while possessing the ball, because they didn’t allow us to play our game. Our intention to connect passes were there, but we lacked speed in our decision making, we were too indecisive. I am very disappointed of the results, but I also got the sense of urgency to improve our individual quality. This tournament reminded me to do more in order to play in the J-League matches more consistently.

DF #22 TATSUTA Yugo (Shimizu S-Pulse)
They came out playing more of a man-to-man style against us, and we just couldn’t adjust to it. We also gave them too many counter attack opportunities. Our risk management were non-existent as a team. We played against Uzbekistan in the M-150 Cup last December, but they came out with a different intensity and commitment from last time. They were a step or two ahead of us in terms of speed and fifty-fifty situations. But I think there were still things we could have done better, and we also had to make adjustments during the game. Playing against a much stronger opponent made me realise that we overestimated what we have accomplished during the group stage. Once we go back to the J-League, our age doesn’t mean anything. I need to raise the quality of my plays. The tournament gave us more to reflect on than to be satisfied with.

MF #10 MIYOSHI Koji (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
We had our chances up front, and if we can improve on our quality I think we can score more goals for sure. If our offence could have scored at least a goal today, we might have made the game a little more interesting, so the 4-0 result was disappointing. Our opponent had an edge against us in front of goal and fifty-fifty situations. They took advantage of that superiority effectively. Finishing eighth in Asia is disappointing and we have to have the sense of urgency. I’ll have to start competing again. I will keep working hard to put up good results with my club, so that I will be called up to the national team again.

MF #11 ENDO Keita (Yokohama F・Marinos)
We played good offence when we were possessing the ball, and we saw some good combination plays as well. But we were forced to be in the defensive end too long, and we just couldn’t hold them off. I personally had situations where I let my opponent get by too easily, and some of them could have been stopped. We were outplayed individually, they out-ran us, they won most fifty-fifty balls, and they were simply better than us. We couldn’t play our game today, but I feel like the Japanese team is heading the right direction, and we have potential to be much better. We’ll now go back to our own clubs, and I will strive to become a player who can make a difference.

Schedule

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

AFC U-23 Championship China 2018

Tournament Period: Wed. 10 - Sat. 27 January 2018

Japan's Matches:
Match 1st Wed. 10 January vs Palestine
Match 2nd Sat. 13 January vs Thailand
Match 3rd Tue. 16 January vs DPR Korea
Quarter-Final Fri. 19 January vs Uzbekistan

For more information