5th Asian Beach Games   Semifinal vs Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team
2016-9-30 (Fri.) - 14:30 (Local Time) Playing Time: 12min×3
Asian Beach Games Beach Soccer Court 1 (Danang/Vietnam)

Japan Beach Soccer National Team 6-5（1st 2-2, 2nd 4-1, 3rd 0-2）Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team

Scores
3'　goal against（Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team)
5'　TABATA Teruki（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
6'　GOTO Takasuke（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
8'　goal against（Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team）
19'　AKAGUMA Takuya（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
20'　AKAGUMA Takuya（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
22'　AKAGUMA Takuya（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
23'　goal against（Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team）
23'　MOREIRA Ozu（Japan Beach Soccer National Team）
27'　goal against（Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team）
34'　goal against（Lebanon Beach Soccer National Team）

Line-ups
GK：TERUKINA Shingo
FP：MOREIRA Ozu、TABATA Teruki、OBA Takaaki、GOTO Takasuke

Substitutions
GK：KAWAI Yusuke
FP：HARAGUCHI Shotaro、NAKAHARA Yuki、MATSUO Naoya、AKAGUMA Takuya

Match Report

The Japan National Beach Soccer Team took on Lebanon in the semifinals of the Asia Beach Games on 30 September.

The site has moved to the first stadium, which is the main venue for these Games from the semifinals. The game kicked off with so many spectators observing from the stands.

Lebanon kicked off with the ball at 2:30 p.m. They capitalized on their individual skill and scored a goal three minutes into the contest.

But in the 5th minute, TABATA Teruki, who was remaining up front, received a pass and directly smashed an overhead shot into the net, equalising the match. Right after that, GOTO Takasuke was fouled right in front of the Lebanese goal and converted the penalty kick to give Japan a 2-1 lead.

However, in the 8th minute, a shot taken by the Lebanese goalkeeper made an irregular bounce in front of the Japan goal and went directly into net. The first period ended with the two teams tied at 2-2.

In the second period, Japan, who played against the wind, made passing mistakes, especially lofted balls, and struggled to create scoring chances.

Yet in the 19th minute, MATSUO Naoya fired a shot from a combination play. The opponents' goalkeeper saved it, but AKAGUMA Takuya put the loose ball into the goal to retrieve a lead for Japan. A minute later, OBA Takaaki with a lofted pass fed Akaguma, who smashed it into the net with an overhead kick. Two minutes later, Akaguma headed home a corner kick, scoring three consecutive goals, and gave Japan a 5-2 lead. 

Japan seemed to maintain their momentum, but they gave up a goal from a corner kick. Yet right before the end of the second period, MOREIRA Ozu fired a kick-off shot successfully, extending the lead to 6-3.

In the third period, Lebanon began to attack Japan's goal aggressively. In the 25th minute, the Lebanese player put a shot into the net with an overhead kick, and now they only trailed by two goals. Then in the 34th minute, the Lebanese side added another from a free kick to cut their deficit to just one at 6-5.

Lebanon came on aggressively in the final moments of the game, but the Japanese side didn’t allow them to score an equalizer, defending tenaciously. The match ended 6-5 in favour of Japan.

Now Japan have advanced to the championship game for the second straight tournament. They will take on Oman in the gold medal match at 3:30 p.m. at the main field for the Asian Beach Games.

Coach's and Players' Comments

Marcelo MENDES, Coach
Today’s game was very tough and close match. We adjusted our strategies depending on how our opponents played, and we were able to play our game through the second period. In the third period, we had tough times, yet we defended with resilience, and I’m glad that we won the match and advanced to the final. We are playing against Oman in the championship game. It wouldn’t be a difficult game for us just like today, but we will do our best so we can bring the gold medal back to Japan.

GK #1 TERUKINA Shingo (Sol Mar Praia)
We played against Lebanon with the ticket for the championship game at stake. They have developed a lot in the last few years and we did not underestimate them. In fact, we had played them once and lost, so we came in the game well prepared. Also, I think that we are going to play against them at a critical time in the World Cup qualifier next year, so they were the opponents that we definitely wanted to beat.

We controlled the first two periods of the match fairly well, but we gave up consecutive goals in the third. We are going to face tougher games ahead if we do not manage it better. However, I am pleased with the result. We are going to make good preparation to win the Asian Beach Games title, which we haven’t won yet.

FP #11 GOTO Takasuke (Fusion)
Our opponents today weren’t of the highest level, but the way we played against them wasn’t either. We need to think more and adjust the ways we play according to their tactics, otherwise we are not going to beat stronger teams. For the championship game, we will be required to make better and quicker decisions and increase the number of quality plays.

I’m sure we are going to have the same situation in the World Cup Asian qualifiers (AFC Beach Soccer Championships), so it was good for us to experience this now. We came up short and ended as the runner-up in the previous tournament, so we want to pay back and go home with the championship this time.

Schedule

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

5th Asian Beach Games (2016/Danang)

2016-9-25(Sun.)～2016-10-2(Sun.)
More Information