Following their group stage victory against Colombia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, the team restarted its training session in their basecamp, Kazan on Wednesday 20 June. The players have already reset their minds ahead of their second group stage match against Senegal, scheduled to be played on Sunday 24 June at Ekaterinburg.

After the match in Saransk, which the temperature rose up to 32 degrees Celsius, the team flew back to Kazan on a charter flight last night. Then the team were seen training in two separate groups in the morning.

Players who started in the 2-1 victory over Colombia, including the two scorers KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund) and OSAKO Yuya (Werder Bremen), along with HONDA Keisuke (CF Pachuca) spent time inside the facility to recover their conditions.

The reserve members including YAMAGUCHI Hotaru (Cerezo Osaka) and OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City Football Club) who made a substitute appearance in the match, trained at the FC Rubin Kazan training ground under a rather chill and rainy weather. The squad were seen jogging, stretching, and going over passing drills for their warmups, followed by build-up drills where they went over taking shots from side attacks.

The session went onto play three vs three in a small field, then a small scrimmage with four aside and a free-man. The team focused on their transitions and their movements when attacking the opposing goal.

Japan has four days to prepare ahead of their second Group H match against Senegal at Ekaterinburg. The two teams are tied in first place of the group as Senegal bested Poland 2-1 in their first group stage match on the 19th in Moscow.

Japan has faced three African teams in the World Cup in the past; 2-0 against Tunisia in 2002, 1-0 against Cameroon in 2010, and 1-2 against Ivory Coast in 2014.

Veteran player NAGATOMO Yuto (Galatasaray S.K.) who played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cup mentioned, “even if we win the first match, it means nothing if we lose the next two matches,” as he also shared that he and Kagawa spent time in the swimming pool last night to recover their bodies and reset their mind.

Japan’s victory over Colombia marked the first ever victory by an Asian side against a South American side after 18 tries. However, Nagatomo says they are not sitting on their laurels, even showing a sense of urgency ahead of their match against Senegal, “it’s important to gain confidence, but we struggled against a Colombian side who were a man short. We are the weakest team in our group in terms of quality. We must stay realistic and make our decisions rationally or else we may be hit hard in the next two matches.”

After scoring his first ever goal in the World Cups, Kagawa described the team’s atmosphere inside the bus ride after the match, “everybody kept their cool and we weren’t taken away by the victory, but rather focused for the next match.” He also shared his aspiration ahead of the Senegal Match, “I have a strong urge to win more matches and play better football. Which makes me look at the aspects we must improve during our first match.”

The team will hold a full-team training session on Thursday 21 June in preparation ahead of the Senegal match.

Players' Comments

GK #1 KAWASHIMA Eiji (Football Club de Metz)
I feel that the biggest turning point for us is the second match of the group stage. Senegal has numbers of quality players in various positions. We could be facing an even harder match than the one against Colombia. Our fate relies on how much analysis we conduct and how we adjust to our opponents. The scene where we conceded from a free kick yesterday can be prevented by improving our mutual understandings. We have been conceding from set-plays lately, so we must make the adjustments. However, while doing so, we must not focus too much on the negatives.

FP #5 NAGATOMO Yuto (Galatasaray S.K.)
The individual quality the Senegal team presents are at a different level. They are an African team with outstanding discipline and the team is very well organised. It is hard to find a hole in their line-ups and they keep a strong emphasis on their defence. Needless to say, their counter attacks are deadly. In order for us to win against Senegal, we must have more cohesiveness than we showcased in the match against Colombia. I have nurtured the sense and distance defending against top players of the big clubs over the years, and I will like to utilise that experience when facing the Senegal team.

FP #10 KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund)
There will be more tough matches to come. Even when we faced a Colombian side with a man short, we struggled against them, so it shows how difficult it is to win a match at this level. I will apply more pressure to myself and strive for an even higher goal. After watching the match between Senegal and Poland, we have reconfirmed the fact they are a strong team, so we will utilise the four days we are given and prepare well ahead of the match.

FP #16 YAMAGUCHI Hotaru (Cerezo Osaka)
I was given the role to close out the match yesterday, and I feel like I managed to do just that. But the match is already in the past, and we can’t be sitting on our laurels. Our next match is fast approaching, and we must reset our minds. For both teams, another victory means that they will go through to the next round. In that sense, this next match will be an even tougher match than the first one. The opponents consist great physical strength and they showcased great speed when they scored the second goal against Poland, which could be their biggest strength. We must be prepared for them.

FP #20 MAKINO Tomoaki (Urawa Reds)
We are still on a mission to create more surprises, so we can’t be too overwhelmed by our victory from yesterday, but the match may have given more reasons to support us for many people. It is important that everybody including the reserve members are thinking what is best for the team. Of course, each individual should stay keen to earn a spot on the field, and it is also important for the older players to support the younger players during the course. I want to keep training with this team and play more matches with this team. I want to express that intention in our daily training sessions.

Schedule

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

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Tournament Dates: 14 June - 15 July 2018

Group stage
1st Match Tue. 19 June Kickoff at 15:00 vs Colombia National Team (Mordovia Arena)
(21:00 Japan time)
2nd Match Sun. 24 June Kickoff at 20:00 vs Senegal National Team (Ekaterinburg Arena)
(Mon. 25 June, 0:00 Japan time)
3rd Match Thu. 28 June Kickoff at 17:00 vs Poland National Team (Volgograd Arena)
(23:00 Japan time)

For more information