SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) played their third group match of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 on Wednesday, 24 January at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, where they defeated Indonesia 3-1. The win sees Japan through to the Round of 16 as runners-up in Group D.

As a result, Japan will play the top-ranked team from Group E in the round of 16 on Wednesday, 31 January. Their opponents will be confirmed on Thursday, 25 January.

Needing a draw or better in this match to finish second in Group D, Japan made eight changes to the side that lost to Iraq. SUZUKI Zion (Sint-Truidense VV) started for the third game in a row, with a four-man defence line consisting of MAIKUMA Seiya (Cerezo Osaka), TOMIYASU Takehiro (Arsenal), MACHIDA Koki (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), and NAKAYAMA Yuta (Huddersfield Town AFC). ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) anchored the midfield, while KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad) and HATATE Reo (Celtic FC) started as the two attacking midfielders. UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord) started at centre-forward, with DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg) on the right wing and NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims) on the left.

Meanwhile, Indonesia, level on three points with Japan and bidding to reach the round of 16 for the first time under former Korea Republic international SHIN Tae-yong, made one change to their starting line-up from the 1-0 win over Vietnam, opting to defend in a 5-4-1 formation while making a shift to a 3-4-3 in attack.

In the battle for second place, it was Japan who took the initiative from the outset and opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Ueda converted the penalty kick he earned himself.

Indonesia responded by using the width of the pitch to try and get behind the Japanese backline, but they couldn't find a way into the final third as the first half ended 1-0 in favour of Japan.

Despite a spirited start to the second half, Indonesia, who could have qualified for the knockout stages with a draw, conceded a second goal in the 51st minute when Ueda latched on to Doan's cross from the left.

In the 54th minute, Doan worked a pass and go with Hatate to break into the box before attempting to curl the ball into the far corner, but his effort went wide. The number 10 had a couple more close calls after the hour mark, lobbing a shot over the keeper in the 62nd minute and heading a shot from close range in the 64th minute, but fell short from finding the back of the net.

MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) and MAEDA Daizen (Celtic FC) were introduced in the 68th minute to give Japan more attacking options, which led to a counter-attack from Maeda and Kubo and a long-range shot from Maikuma in the 80th minute.

But it was the introduction of ITO Junya (Stade de Reims) in the 86th minute that paid immediate dividends for Japan, as the winger burst down the right flank before whipping in a cross for Ueda, whose shot deflected off a defender and into the net.

Despite conceding a goal to Indonesia during additional time, Japan held on for a 3-1 victory to finish second in the group and progress to the knockout stages.

In the other match played in Group D, Iraq defeated Vietnam 3-2 to finish the group stage with three consecutive wins, while Vietnam finished fourth with four losses.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Despite losing the previous game, we were able to reflect on both the positives and negatives of that game and prepare for the next one in the best possible way, which allowed the players to give their best in today's game. The players made the most of their experience from the previous match and showed great aggression from the start of the game, leading to the penalty and the dominant performance that followed. The attackers did a great job of pressuring from the front and setting up plays for the defenders. It was great that we were able to apply pressure with our attacks, making quick transitions with a lot of intensity as a team.
Indonesia are also a very good team with good individual strength and tactically, coach SHIN Tae-yong has built a great team. In that sense, the fact that our players have prepared with great determination has led to this result. We still have a lot of room for improvement, including the quality of our build-up play from the back line and our attacking options from the centre and flanks, especially against teams who are dropping deep in their own half. We also conceded from a long throw at the end, so we need to do a better job of finishing a game with a clean sheet. All the teams in the knockout stages are very strong, so we have to be ready to fight. The competition will be fierce as we fight for the title, and we hope to put on a strong performance to show our fans and supporters the how high the level of competition is in Asia.

GK #23 SUZUKI Zion (Sint-Truidense VV/Belgium)
I am a little disappointed with the goal we conceded at the end, but this is a win that takes us through to the next round. I feel the need to improve my performance, especially in terms of conceding goals. My strength is my ability to challenge crosses and create chances off of it, so I want to show that more often. I want to improve my overall performance and try to make plays that can save the team when we are in difficult situations. It is best if we can avoid those tough situations in the first place, but I want to prepare myself so that I am always ready when we get to the knockout stages.

DF #16 MAIKUMA Seiya (Cerezo Osaka)
I know from our training sessions that if I get my timing right, my teammates will feed me good passes, so I made a conscious effort to time my runs in this game. I feel like I was able to play my usual game. Doan is a player who can do anything when he has the ball, so I concentrated on giving him more options, especially with Kubo's presence in midfield. Even though our opponents changed their formation, the four defenders always communicated with each other to stay on the same page. The fact that many players spoke up in our team meeting helped us to play with a sense of urgency and strengthen our bond as a team.

DF #22 TOMIYASU Takehiro (Arsenal/England)
The fact that we were able to advance through is a positive thing. To build the team's momentum, it is up to the defenders to tell the attackers to push forward, and Machida and I did that well today. We just didn't do our job in the last two games. That's why our performance was below par. We can keep ourselves compact when we are playing well. Today's game wasn't about who we're playing, it was about focusing on what we can do and what we need to do. In that sense, it was a game that allowed us to build our confidence ahead of the knockout stages.

MF/FW #6 ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC/England)
We came into the game with good intensity, kept our focus until the end and showed great transitions and pressing as a team. It is important that we take the initiative and fight hard both in attack and defence. Today we made great transitions after losing possession and that made all the difference. Not only did everyone do their job, but we played very well from top to bottom, which led to this result. I played like an anchor today and concentrated on winning the ball back. I felt I did a good job of covering the field and I hope I can continue to do that.

MF/FW #9 UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord/Netherlands)
I think we were able to improve on some of the things we saw in our last game, and I am just happy that we were able to win today. The play where we won the penalty came from a play I had been talking with Doan about and it went exactly as we planned. I was able to time my run to get the ball and it gave us the confidence to do more of the things we had been training for. Not only did it give our team the lead, but it meant a lot from an attacking point of view. We really focused on how we were going to enter the game today, and the strikers are responsible for giving the team momentum. The second goal came from a counterattack, and I was ready to make the run when Doan got the ball. It was good that we were able to keep our movement fluid and score goals from the plays we prepared.

MF/FW #10 DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg/Germany)
This game presented an opportunity for those who hadn’t played in recent games, so I tried to keep everyone energised on the pitch, and I think a lot of us were able to make a case for ourselves. What made us successful at the World Cup was our tenacious defence and quick counterattacks, and today's second goal came from that. Keeping the pressure up front is something we need to keep at our base. I didn't play particularly well today, and it feels more like we played badly in the first two games. As long as everyone plays to their potential, we should be able to play like we did today. As one of the players who hadn't played recently, I was trying to spark some competition in the team and seeing the likes of Minamino and Ito playing well off the bench reminded me that this is a team that needs to win this tournament.

MF/FW #13 NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims/France)
(on his shot off the post) I thought it went in. Kubo played a lobbing pass into the box, and I was wide open for the cut-back, so I really wish I'd scored, but the important thing is that the team won the game. I wasn't too worried about the record, so I'm just happy the team made it to the round of 16. I felt I was able to work well with Nakayama and Hatate on the left, especially in the second half. Although I was able to score against Vietnam, I am more pleased with my overall performance today.

MF/FW #20 KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad/Spain)
I feel like I have exhausted myself in the first half, but I am happy with the way I played, and I also think I can improve my fitness if I can continue to play like I did in the first half. The pitch conditions made it difficult to pass on the ground, so I switched to passing in the air, which worked well on a couple of occasions. Whether I was under pressure or not, I wasn't able to carry the ball in the middle, so I should have kept my game simpler. We are starting to build up our fitness levels and we have six days to prepare for our next game, so hopefully we can make the most of the time we have to prepare.

SHIN Tae-yong, Head Coach of Indonesia National Team
First of all, I would like to congratulate Japan on their victory. Japan are a strong team and they played very well today. They have great players in attack who can press the ball from high up, so even when we had the ball, we often lost possession and faced counterattacks. We are a young team with very little experience, so we struggled to create chances after winning the ball. However, I am very pleased with the way our players played and I am very grateful for their efforts.

YouTube(AFC):#AsianCup2023 | Group D : Japan 3 - 1 Indonesia

AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023

Tournament dates: Fri. 12 January - Sat. 10 February 2024

Group stage
1st Match: Sun. 14 January 14:30 ◯4-2 vs Vietnam National Team
2nd Match: Fri. 19 January 14:30 ●1-2 vs Iraq National Team
3rd Match: Wed. 24 January 14:30 ◯3-1 vs Indonesia National Team
※Dates and times are listed in local time.

Tournament information