On Wednesday 16 August, the U-21 Japan National Team played their second group stage match of the 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang at Cikarang, Indonesia, where they won 4-0 against the U-23 Pakistan National Team.

With the team facing their second match with just one-day rest after their match against Nepal, Coach MORIYASU Hajime rotated eight players from their starting line-up. KOJIMA Ryosuke was given the start at goal with the defence line of OKAZAKI Makoto, ITAKURA Kou, and OMINAMI Takuma, while KAMIYA Yuta and MATSUMOTO Taishi played as defensive midfielders. NAGANUMA Yoichi and ENDO Keita were placed in the flanks, while HATATE Reo and IWASAKI Yuto positioned themselves just beneath the lone striker, MAEDA Daizen.

The team entered the match with strong intentions to score goals in this match, and they did just that from the early minutes. Just two minutes into the match, Okazaki delivered a long feed that exploited the space between the opposing defence line and the goalkeeper, allowing Iwasaki to run into the space and fire a shot that captured the opening goal. In the ninth minute, Ominami dribbled up the field before delivering a pass to Hatate, who made a run into the space behind the defenders and slotted the ball into the net with his left foot. Just a minute later, Iwasaki forced a turnover and passed the ball to Maeda, who then dished the ball to Hatate. The ball made its way back to Maeda, who calmly scored the goal to give Japan a three-goal lead. Endo had his chance in the 19th minute, when he attempted a shot after receiving a long ball delivered by Kamiya, but his effort was slightly off target. In the 35th minute, Endo delivered a cross towards the goal where Hatate was there to knock it down to allow Iwasaki to drill a shot into the net to give Japan their fourth goal.

Japan entered halftime with a four-goal lead and kept their momentum into the second half. In the 52nd minute, Naganuma reacted to a vertical pass delivered by Okazaki and sent a cross towards the goal, but the ball was just out of the reach of Maeda at the centre. Japan utilised their substitute in the 72nd minute, as they brought in HARA Teruki for Kamiya. The Japanese defence did a great job to shield off the aggressive and physical approach of the Pakistani side, but their goalkeeper Kojima was forced to leave the match after colliding with an opposing player, as OBI Powell Obinna made his way into the match. HATSUSE Ryo was also introduced to the match in the 81st minute in substitution with Endo. Japan continued to seek for their fifth goal, but couldn’t create a clear opportunity, as Maeda later reflected, “Our offence lacked layers.”

The match ended with a final score of 4-0. Japan cruised through the match without conceding any major threats, as they contained the opponents to just one shot on target. With this result, Japan and Vietnam has earned six points in Group D after two matches played, which gives both team a spot into the next round. On Sunday 19 August, the U-21 Japan National Team will face the U-23 Vietnam National Team with the group lead at stake.

Coach and Players’ Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach (U-21 Japan National Team)
With our performance at the first match in mind, we wanted to put our emphasis on scoring goals for this match. We have rotated many players in this match, but the players showed great intention to win the match and earned three points, which gives us great confidence moving forward. However, the competition will intensify as we face Vietnam in our next match, followed by the knockout stage. We still made many mistakes, and we could have scored more goals in the second half. We will prepare to strengthen our offence and strive for a higher level.

DF #3 OKAZAKI Makoto (F.C. Tokyo)
(Regarding the first assist) In the first play we saw each other, and I managed to play the ball to him. This match was the first time for me to play with this team, so even though I got used to playing after a while, I still made mistakes and there were plays I wasn’t in sync with my teammates. I must make the necessary adjustments and get used to the team tactics. Ball control is my biggest strength. When facing teams with a defensive approach, we must have good build-ups from the defence line. I hope to prove that I belong here by showcasing my strength in those situations.

MF #13 IWASAKI Yuto (Kyoto Sanga F.C.)
(Regarding the opening goal) I was anticipating to hold off a defender. Okazaki delivered a great pass and I am glad I managed to score in that early minutes of the match. I personally was able to showcase my intention to score goals, but the quality of my plays in the final third needs to be improved, so I will make the necessary adjustments ahead of our next match. We will fight as a team to advance through the knock out stage as the leader of Group D.

FW #9 HATATE Reo (Juntendo University)
I didn’t play in the first match, so I entered this match with a strong intention to earn results. Among the three attacking players, we spoke to each other to apply pressure from the front line and it worked out exactly how we anticipated. This year I have been emphasising on assisting goals, so the fact I managed to assist a goal at this stage gives me great confidence.

Schedule

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

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates: Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Men's】Group Stage
1st Match Tue. 14 August 21:00 [Japan Time] vs Nepal
2nd Match Thu. 16 August 18:00 [Japan Time] vs Pakistan
3rd Match Sun. 19 August 18:00 [Japan Time] vs Vietnam

Tournament Information