On Tuesday 10 September, SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) played their second match in the final round of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Asian qualifiers against Bahrain at Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, Bahrain, where they secured their second successive Group C win with a 5-0 victory.

Following their 7-0 win over China PR on Thursday 5 September, the team opted to stick with the same 3-4-2-1 formation, with only one change to the starting line-up. SUZUKI Zion (Parma Calcio 1913) started in goal with a backline of ITAKURA Kou (Borussia MG), TANIGUCHI Shogo (Sint-Truidense VV) and MACHIDA Koki (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise). ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) and MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP) anchored the midfield, while DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg) and MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC) were deployed on the flanks. KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace) took the place of KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad) in midfield, with MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) playing just below lone striker UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord).

Japan started the match by keeping their lines compact and moving the ball around their opponents' half, and they had their first real chance in the ninth minute when Doan latched onto Mitoma's cross, but the midfielder's sliding effort was saved by the post.

After creating a number of chances, Japan broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Kamada's cross struck the hand of a Bahrain defender in the area. Despite being distracted by the laser pointers coming from the home crowd, Ueda calmly converted the spot-kick to give Japan the lead.

ITO Junya (Stade de Reims) was introduced at the start of the second half and made an immediate impact. The winger broke into the box and cut the ball back to Ueda, who calmly controlled the ball before unleashing a right-footed shot that hit the post before finding the back of the net.

With momentum on their side, Japan extended their lead with Morita scoring back-to-back goals in the 61st and 64th minutes, assisted by Ueda and Mitoma respectively.

Two other second-half additions, NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims) and OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen), were involved in Japan's fifth goal when Ogawa converted a deflected shot from Nakamura to make it 5-0.

The 5-0 win made Japan the only team in Group C to win back-to-back matches and put them at the top of the group.

Japan are scheduled to play Saudi Arabia away on 10 October and Australia at home on 15 October.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
In today's game, our team did not create as many chances as we would have liked while conceding a few significant opportunities to our opponents during the first half. However, it was encouraging to see that we remained patient during those periods. The result does not necessarily reflect the game as a whole, as it was not an easy game for us. With the short turnaround, we made only one change to our starting line-up, as we wanted the players to build on the experience gained in the first game. We knew from our analysis that our opponents had played 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 in their recent matches, but we didn't know exactly how they would play against us, so we tried to be flexible and prepared to switch between 3-4-2-1 and 3-5-2 depending on the opponent's system. Kamada has been playing very well in training and his versatility allowed me to make the decision to start him today.

MF/FW #5 MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP/Portugal)
Similar to our first match against China PR, I got a very different impression between the two halves today. I was expecting a tight game, so I concentrated on keeping my position deep to have two holding midfielders available to win loose balls. The game really opened up in the second half, and with the opposition strikers pushing even higher up the pitch, we started to see more open spaces in midfield. Overall, I think we played well today. I am always keen to score goals and (Kamada) Daichi did a great job of creating space for me in the final third. I am often influenced by my surroundings, both positively and negatively, so I felt that today's line-up was a good one for me.

MF/FW #9 UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord/Netherlands)
I am happy to have scored two goals. However, I would have liked to create more opportunities for my teammates and take more shots. I was able to maintain my composure and take the penalty kick in a controlled manner. I was so focused that I didn't realise the laser pointers. (Regarding his second goal) I was able to create space for myself as I controlled the ball inside the box, which allowed me to face the goal, so I was just focused on making good contact with the ball.

MF/FW #15 KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace/England)
Knowing how well the team had performed in the first match against China PR, I trained with a sense of urgency, determined to make my case for a starting place in this team. When playing against a back four, it is always important that we continue to exploit the spaces behind the full-backs to create a four-on-five situation. This approach is a way of playing to our strengths, so I will continue to challenge those half-spaces.

AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road To 26

Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs Bahrain National Team
Date: Tue. 10 September 2024, 19:00 (Wed. 11 September 1:00 Japan time)
Venue: Bahrain National Stadium (Riffa, Bahrain)
Tournament information