On Tuesday 26 March, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) faced the Bolivia National Team at the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2019 and won the match 1-0 with the help of the goal scored by midfielder NAKAJIMA Shoya (Al Duhail SC) in the second half to record their first win in three matches.

As mentioned at the pre-game press conference, Coach MORIYASU Hajime rotated the entire line-up from their match against the Colombia National Team on Friday 22.

The fresh line-up featured eight players making their first ever start under the current regime. SCHMIDT Daniel (Vegalta Sendai) made his return in goal since the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, while HATANAKA Shinnosuke (Yokohama F･Marinos) and MIURA Genta (Gamba Osaka) were positioned as the centre halves. In the right fullback position, NISHI Daigo (Vissel Kobe) made his return to the national team since June 2011, while ANZAI Koki (Kashima Antlers) covered the left side. It was HASHIMOTO Kento (F.C. Tokyo) and KOBAYASHI Yuki (SC Heerenveen) playing as the defensive midfielders, with KAGAWA Shinji (Besiktas J.K.) filling in the number 10 role. USAMI Takashi (Fortuna Dusseldorf) and INUI Takashi (Deportivo Alaves) were placed in the flanks while KAMADA Daichi (Sint-Truidense V.V.) played as the lone striker upfront. In this match, Kagawa was given the armband for the first time in his national team career.

With Hashimoto and Hatanaka making their national team debut, and three other players playing in only their second match to represent their country, the team started off by testing the water. While Anzai and Inui actively attacked the left side, Usami penetrated the right flank to create opportunities, but the players couldn’t quite connect with each other to break down the Bolivian defence.

Inui made an effort in the 23rd minute when he dribbled in from the left side before striking a shot, but his attempt was denied by the opposing goalkeeper.

For Bolivia, this was their third match under the new coach, and they are in the phase to prepare for the upcoming Copa America scheduled in June. While the South American side dropped deep in their territory to defend their goal, their young striker Leonardo VACA orchestrated their attacks from the right side. A close opportunity came in the 42nd minute when Rodrigo RAMALLO connected with a cross, but his header couldn’t capture the target.

After entering halftime scoreless, Japan made the move in the second half, as they brought in Nakajima, DOAN Ritsu (FC Groningen), MINAMINO Takumi (FC Red Bull Salzburg), and SHIBASAKI Gaku (Getafe C.F.) in the 60th minute. Once taking the field, the young attacking trio that has featured the team since the start of the Moriyasu regime showcased their abilities, while Shibasaki played a vital role in the team’s build-up plays to create opportunities for Japan.

The golden moment came in the 76th minute when Doan forced a turnover in the midfield and sent a pass to Minamino. The midfielder then delivered the ball to Nakajima who dribbled into the penalty area before striking a right footed shot that shook the net.

Nakajima came within inches to score his second goal just moments later, when his mid-range shot struck the cross bar. Minamino responded to the defection and fired a shot to threaten the Bolivian goal but failed to capitalise on the opportunity.

Other substituted players also made their attempts as SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) connected with a cross delivered by SASAKI Sho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) in the 85th minute, but his header came short from hitting the target.

In the 89th minute, Doan received a pass from Nakajima and struck a shot from close range, but his shot was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.

Japan finished the match 1-0 to register a win in their final match of the Heisei era.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We rotated the entire line-up from our match against Colombia and through the two matches, I am now feeling confident about the growth of our young players. However, they still need to get better in order to have enough impact to change the dynamics of the match. While we had the younger players with less experience play with the veterans to share their time and feeling of the match, we made the substitutions in the second half to win the match. Although the players who started the match came short from scoring a goal, they utilised the width of the field to keep the ball moving, and our opponents were visually worn down from chasing the ball. Our players executed the game plan well against a team with solid defence and the players who came in as substitutes did their job to score the goal. It’s great that we managed to finish off the two matches by conceding just one goal. We were able to learn from our match against Colombia and showcased a more consistent performance by preventing the opponents from creating major opportunities. Our philosophy is certainly getting rooted into our players’ minds and after seeing how smoothly the new players adapted to the team, it tells me that the message is getting spread among the players and through the matches we have previously played. I hope that this trend continues, and I will keep on demanding high standards from my players. I am hoping to see a player stepping up in offence to get the job done in critical moments.

MF #7 SHIBASAKI Gaku (Getafe C.F.)
We managed to keep the ball moving in the first half and once the opponents started to get tired in the second half, the substitutes finished off the match. This win was earned by a total team effort. We played with great pace in the second half, but I personally feel like we need to balance ourselves and perform at a high level throughout the entire match. We need to think of more ways to carry the ball upfront. If we can come up with one or two patterns, we can create more opportunities to score goals.

MF #8 NAKAJIMA Shoya (Al Duhail SC)
The entire team contributed to carry the ball upfront, so I was glad I was able to score the goal, especially because I missed a lot of shots in our previous match. It’s true that we see more plays that leads to a goal (when playing with Minamino and Doan), but every player has their own strong points. If we can mix and match those characters, we can broaden our options to score goals.

MF #10 KAGAWA Shinji (Besiktas J.K.)
It’s great that the team won the match and to see the substitutes make the difference in the match. I knew it was going to be a difficult match, but we still saw many more chances created in the second half, so we can’t be happy with just one goal. However, the young players did a superb job today. I told them to stay patient and be aggressive when we are attacking. Our opponents played more defensively than we expected, and it was hard to crate anything at first, but our persistency got paid off in the second half.

MF #25 KOBAYASHI Yuki (SC Heerenveen)
With the opponents dropping deep in their territory, we had to take the risk and challenge them, so I focused on preventing the opponents from initiating counter attacks and the build-up plays to get the ball upfront in a timely fashion. Through this match, we had to learn about each other’s character and play style, so in that sense, this was a very meaningful match for us.

Eduardo VILLEGAS, Coach of Bolivia National Team
The match was played with great intensity and it was a great tactical battle between the two teams. Our players struggled to deal with the opponents’ pressure and although we created some chances from our substitutions, Japan had the upper hand in offence. From our experience playing against Korea Republic, we focused on marking the player on the other side, especially Inui, to prevent the Japanese attacks. This match has given our young players a great experience.

Schedule

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) Squad & Schedule

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) vs Bolivia National Team
Match Date: Tue. 26 March 2019 Kick-off time 19:30
Match Venue: Noevir Stadium Kobe, Hyogo

Tournament Information

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