The U-20 Japan National Team, who topped the group stage at the AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023, held a training session the day before their quarterfinal match against the U-20 Jordan National Team on Sunday 12 March.

With the top four teams qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Indonesia 2023™, Japan will face Jordan for a ticket to the world tournament. With tension quietly building leading up to the big game in the knockout stage, the team prepared themselves to give their all for the match at hand.

“The next game will be more difficult than ever. We have to prepare not only for 90 minutes, but also for extra time and penalties,” said Head Coach TOGASHI Koichi, while also commenting on the team’s current situation, “As a coach, I appreciate the situation where all 23 players are available as options.”

Regarding their next opponent, coach Togashi mentioned, “Jordan are a team of a higher calibre with many talented players, especially in midfield and up front,” but also added, “We will study our opponents well, but we will concentrate on playing our own game without getting distracted by the information at hand.”

The AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023 quarterfinal match between the U20 Japan National Team and the U-20 Jordan National Team will kick-off at 19:00 local time (23:00 Japan time) on Sunday 12 March.

Players’ Comments

DF #4 KIKUCHI Shuta (Shimizu S-Pulse)
Tomorrow's game against Jordan is an important match with a World Cup berth on the line. It is a match we cannot afford to lose, but the same could be said of our opponents, so we will play with confidence and dignity, and strive for victory as a team.

DF #15 YASHIKI Yusei (Oita Trinita)
This is a very important match that will decide our qualification for the World Cup. It will be a difficult match, but we will do our best and try to show everything we have prepared leading to this point. vg We will work as a team and win this match to qualify for the World Cup.

MF #8 SANO Kodai (Fagiano Okayama)
The match against Jordan will be an important game that will decide our qualification for the World Cup. I am sure that our opponents will also be playing with a strong spirit, so we need to play with a strong sense of determination to win the match. We will do our best to achieve good results both as a team and as individuals, so please continue to support us.

AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023

Tournament Dates: Wed. 1 - Sat. 18 March 2023

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