On Saturday 28 November, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team faced the Uruguay Beach Soccer National Team in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019, where Japan defeated the South American powerhouse 3-2 to reach the semi-finals for their first time since the 2005 tournament.

The match started with Japan taking the lead in the eighth minute, when OBA Takaaki delivered a pass towards YAMAUCHI Shusei, who held off the defender and laid the ball back to allow Oba to continue his run and strike the ball into the net.

Following the opening goal, Japan took control of the match through their ball movements, while shielding off the long-distance shots taken by the Uruguayan side. In the 11th minute, KOMAKI Masayuki forced a turnover at the left and sent the ball upfront to allow OKUYAMA Masanori to break through and slot the ball into the net.

Japan’s third goal came in the second period, when Okuyama used his chest to flick the ball towards the right side. It was MATSUDA Kosuke who controlled the ball before sending a lobbing pass towards the far post, where TABATA Teruki ran in to head the ball into the net.

After conceding a goal from a penalty kick at the end of the second period, Japan gave up another goal in the closing seconds of the third period, but led by TERUKINA Shingo, Japan showcased a persistent defensive effort to keep their lead to earn their ticket to the semi-finals.

Match Details

Japan Beach Soccer National Team will now face the Portugal Beach Soccer National Team in the semi-final match on Saturday 30 November.

Coaches and Players' Comments

RAMOS Ruy, Coach
Our team has won through very difficult matches at this World Cup, so I would like to celebrate this victory over Uruguay with our players. However, our goal is to advance to the final, so we will reset our minds and prepare ourselves for the next round. Terukina showcased a superb performance today. It should be enough to regain his confidence.

MAKINO Shinji, Assistant Coach
Our plays got sloppy after we took the 3-0 lead, and that’s a bad habit we must get rid of. In order to make a deep run at the World Cup, we can’t just blast off everything within our arsenal. We need to keep our composure to showcase a mature performance at times. We will continue to build our team to advance beyond the semi-finals.

GK #1 TERUKINA Shingo (Ryukyu Erythrina)
Coach Ramos told me before the match that I was going to start today. Since arriving in Paraguay, my condition has been great, and I have been playing well. One of the reasons we won the match today was because we managed to keep our composure. We will be facing a very strong Portuguese side at the semi-finals, but as long as we can play our usual game, we should be able to win the match.

FP #5 TABATA Teruki (Veertien Mie BS)
Today I was able to score with a header, which is something I am not very good at. The delivery was perfect, so I just had to tap the ball in. I saw where the goalkeeper was, so I aimed under his armpit, and I am glad it went in. My job is to keep the team balanced, so I focused on keeping everybody’s composure, especially during the stretch where we seemed off-balance.

Schedule

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

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019

Tournament Dates: Thu. 21 November - Sun. 1 December 2019

Tournament Information