, Only second-class teams...Japan's soccer criticism is still in the round of 16 at the World Cup
Sep 08, 2025
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Japanese soccer media Soccer Digest said on the 7th that Chinese fans were also interested in the match between Japan and Mexico. A related voice continued, according to the report.
The Japanese national soccer team, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, drew 0-0 against Mexico at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California on the 7th (Korea time).
It was a match between Mexico, ranked 13th in the FIFA rankings, and Japan, ranked 17th. Japan placed Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) as its one-top striker and started Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco) and Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad). On this day, Japan showed a lack of decision-making power with only two shots on target while attempting nine shots. In ball possession, it was also lagging behind Mexico by 48.6%-51.4%. Japan took the numerical advantage in the second half of extra time when Mexico's Cesar Montes was sent off with a red card. However, he failed to open the opponent's goal in the end.
Soccer Digest 'Japan put pressure on from the beginning of the game. Gubo and others took the opportunity, but failed to open the opponent's goal. In the second half, Minamino made a decisive scene, but he couldn't finish it.
The media quoted a report by Chinese media outlet Zvova. According to Zwova, Chinese fans say, `Japan seems to be playing well against European teams, but they are still a little weak against second-class opponents', 'Japan still needs a lot to go up further', 'Japan is still in the round of 16 at the World Cup. He responded, "It's not enough to go to the quarterfinals."
Japan won a ticket to the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup early on. It will play its second away game against the U.S. on the 10th. South Korea won 2-0 against the U.S. on the 7th.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
