On Wednesday 24 July (local time), the U-23 Japan National Team played their first match at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (Paris 2024) at Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France, against the U-23 Paraguay National Team.

Oiwa opted for the same 4-3-3 formation as in the international friendly against U-23 France National Team on Wednesday 17 July, with KOKUBO Leo Brian (Sint-Truidense VV) in goal behind a backline of SEKINE Hiroki (Kashiwa Reysol), TAKAI Kota (Kawasaki Frontale), KIMURA Seiji (Sagan Tosu) and OHATA Ayumu (Urawa Red Diamonds). FUJITA Joel Chima (Sint-Truidense VV) anchored the midfield, with YAMAMOTO Rihito (Sint-Truidense VV) and MITO Shunsuke (Sparta Rotterdam) playing as central midfielders. Up front, HIRAKAWA Yu (Bristol City) and SAITO Koki (Lommel SK) were deployed on the flanks, with HOSOYA Mao (Kashiwa Reysol) playing as a central striker.

The match began with Japan showing great aggression to take the initiative against Paraguay, who played a 4-4-2 formation to block the central area of the pitch. With quick, short passes, the Japanese players penetrated the Paraguayan defence to create chances, which led to the opening goal in the 19th minute when Ohata latched onto Saito's through ball before crossing to Mito, who calmly slotted the ball into the net.

In the 24th minute, Paraguay's Wilder VIERA was shown a straight red card for a foul on Hirakawa, who eventually had to be substituted due to an injury sustained in the incident. With the numerical advantage, Japan began to dominate the second half, starting with Mito's 63rd-minute goal when the central midfielder headed home Saito's cross for his second of the match.

The third goal came in the 69th minute when SATO Kein (SV Werder Bremen), who came on as a substitute for Hirakawa, broke down the right flank and crossed into the box, where Saito controlled the ball before quickly slipping a pass to Yamamoto, who unleashed a left-footed shot from the edge of the box that found the back of the net.

Japan’s goal spree continued on into the closing stages of the match, with FUJIO Shota (FC Machida Zelvia) converting a free kick delivered by ARAKI Ryotaro (FC Tokyo) in the 81st minute, before recording his second goal in the 87th minute, when the striker responded to a through ball delivered by Hosoya and calmly converted a one-on-one against the goalkeeper to cap off the match.

The 5-0 win gave Japan a flying start to the tournament by beating the first-place team from the South American qualifiers.

Coach and Players' Comments

OIWA Go, Head Coach of U-23 Japan National Team
Given that our opponents were a man down from the early stages, we have to acknowledge that it was an irregular match and concentrate on preparing for the next one. The numerical advantage allowed us to possess the ball, but there were many occasions when we chose to play rather negatively, so that is something we need to work on, because I feel we could have played a better game today. Handa (who was side-lined due to injury) was with us until today, so I feel that everyone was playing on behalf of him. We are now 100% focused on our next match. I reiterated to the players that we are playing on two-days’ rest, so we just need to get our job done in the time we are given.

MF #8 FUJITA Joel Chima (Sint-Truidense VV/Belgium)
I really feel for (Handa) Riku (who left the team with an injury). It doesn't change the way we approach the game, but I will continue to do my best for Riku. I don't really know how the game was received by everyone, but I hope that this win will have a positive effect and bring more supporters. I want more people to be encouraged and find the joy of football by watching our games. Although it was a big win, Paraguay had a lot of athletic players with a lot of power and speed. This was something we had expected from the scouting report we went through in our pre-match meeting.

MF #14 MITO Shunsuke (Sparta Rotterdam/Netherlands)
I am happy that we were able to win this game. The first goal came from a play we had been working on. When Ohata used the space behind the full-back to cut the ball back, I realised that I was wide open in the box, especially with Hosoya holding the centre-back. That allowed me to keep my composure. The second goal came from (Saito) Koki’s individual effort. We made an eye contact when he had the ball, and he delivered a perfect ball to me. It was the first time I scored a header for the national team. We will continue to give our all in the coming matches and I hope I can contribute to the team by scoring more goals.

FW #17 HIRAKAWA Yu (FC Machida Zelvia)
I can't really tell how serious the injury is. It hurts when I try to walk. I got up after I was fouled and thought I could play through the pain. However, with the opposition playing a man down, I thought it was in the best interests of the team to have someone who could play 100% rather than take the risk of aggravating the injury, so I took the decision to come off. It was frustrating, but it was my decision. It was the kind of foul we don't see in Japan, but it happens in international matches. I didn't expect him to come at me like that, so I wasn't prepared to dodge it, which is very disappointing.

Games of the XXXIII Olympiad/XVII Paralympic Games (Paris 2024)

Football Tournament: Thu. 25 July - Sat. 7 September 2024
Tournament information