On Thursday 29 June, the U-17 Japan National Team faced the U-17 IR Iran National Team in the semi-finals of the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Thailand 2023 at Thammasat Stadium.

After the team clinched the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ with their advancement to the semi-finals, Head Coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro gave the team a rest day on Tuesday in order to reset their minds towards achieving their goal of winning the Asian title.

With the team entering the semi-finals with just two days rest following the quarterfinals, the coach made five changes to their starting line-up. GOTO Wataru (FC Tokyo U-18) was given the start in goal, with MATSUMOTO Haruto (Kashima Antlers Youth), KOSUGI Keita (Shonan Bellmare U-18), NAGANO Shuto (FC Tokyo U-18), and TSUCHIYA Kaito (Kawasaki Frontale U-18) forming the defence line. YADA Ryunosuke (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth) and YAMAMOTO Joi (Tokyo Verdy Youth) were placed in the heart of the midfield, with MOCHIZUKI Kohei (Yokohama F. Marinos Youth) and KAWAMURA Gakuto (Tokyo Verdy Youth) in the flanks. SATO Ryunosuke (FC Tokyo U-18) and MICHIWAKI Yutaka (Roasso Kumamoto) were named as the two strikers up top.

The match started in Japan’s pace, as Yamamoto later reflected, “Everyone was fired up and we entered the match with enough momentum to overwhelm our opponents.” The opening goal came in the 10th minute when Yada converted Kawamura’s cross to give Japan an early lead.

Japan’s second goal came in the 25th minute, when they collected a deflection from Sato's strike to set up Mochizuki, who went on to score his fourth goal of the competition.

Just as Japan were gaining momentum from these goals, the pitch conditions worsened as torrential rain began to fall, forcing them to play safely, as Yamamoto mentioned, “We had to play according to the weather and pitch conditions.”

The match was also interrupted by lightening in the second half, but Japan continued to play without lowering their team performance, as Yada recalled, “We didn’t have many issues because we were constantly communicating with each other.” Their persistence was paid off in the 74th minute when Sato converted a free kick to further extend the lead.

With the defence holding off IR Iran from scoring a goal, Japan managed to earn a 3-0 shutout victory to reach the final for the second straight tournament. They will now face Korea Republic in the final on Sunday 2 July.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYAMA Yoshiro, Head Coach
It wasn’t an easy game. Given how heavily it rained yesterday evening, we were expecting a similar downpour today, but the rain made it very difficult to play for both sides, nonetheless. In addition, the match was also interrupted by a thunderstorm. I've been telling the players all week that they have to deal with the unexpected, and I thought it paid off. The players and staff will continue to work together in the final, so please root for us.

MF #6 YADA Ryunosuke (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth)
The ball came to me at the right timing, and I was able to score a goal. I was really happy because I really wanted to score. I was able to keep my cool and place the ball where I wanted. I have always played with the intention of keeping my opponents on their toes, and I think it paid off in the team’s second goal.

MF #8 MOCHIZUKI Kohei (Yokohama F. Marinos Youth)
We encountered numerous unforeseen circumstances, but we were able to maintain our composure since our coach had always advised us to be ready to resolve unforeseen circumstances as a team. When I scored the goal, I was unable to make contact with my first attempt, but I was able to convert the opportunity when the ball once again came rolling towards me.

MF #15 YAMAMOTO Joi (Tokyo Verdy Youth)
I have never experienced such heavy rain during a tournament before, but it was something we were prepared for. I was really looking forward to this game, especially knowing how poorly we played against them in last year’s friendly. I was hoping that we would get a chance to redeem ourselves against IR Iran, so I am really glad we were able to win this time.

YouTube(AFC):#AFCU17 - SF | Islamic Republic of Iran 0 - 3 Japan

AFC U17 Asian Cup™ Thailand 2023

Tournament Dates: Thu. 15 June - Sun. 2 July 2023

Tournament Information