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The Japanese national soccer team, which aims to win the World Cup, led the match against world powerhouse Mexico and ended up with a draw.
Japan (17th in FIFA ranking), led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, drew 0-0 against Mexico (13th) at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland on the 7th (Korea time). Japan, which took the lead in the game from the beginning through strong forward pressure, failed to score points as Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad) and Doan Ritz (Eintracht Frankfurt) missed chances. At the end of the second half, opposing defender Cesar Montes was sent off directly and gained a numerical advantage, but he had to settle for the draw by failing to cut through the net until the end.
Japan plans to play its second warm-up match against the U.S. (15th) at 8:30 a.m. on the 10th at Lower Dotcom Field in Columbus, Ohio. The U.S. lost 0-2 against South Korea at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, by dedicating consecutive goals to Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Cheon, managing director). South Korea will face Mexico at Geodyspark in Nashville on the day of the U.S.-Japan match. Mexico will face South Korea with a loss of power due to the injury of captain and main midfielder Edson Alvarez (Fenerbahce) and the departure of defender Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow).
Japan pulled out a 3-4-2-1 formation similar to that of South Korea, which faced the U.S. earlier. 'Hwang In-beom Colleague' Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) spearheaded the one-top attack, while Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco) and Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad) supported them in the second line of attack. Doan Ritz (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), whose original positions are wingers, will play both wingbacks, while captain Endo Wataru (Liverpool) and Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace) will play as the midfield duo. Itaruka Go (Ajax), Watanabe Tsuyoshi (Feyenoord), and Seko Ayumu (Le Havre) lined up at the three-back position, and Suzuki Zaion (Parma) defended the goal.
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Led by director Javier Aguirre, Mexico launched a 4-2-3-1 formation. Raul Jimenez (Fulham) will be the top, while Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens) and Alexis Vega (Toluka) will build the second line. Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahce) and Marcel Ruiz (Toluka) built a midfield duo, while Jorge Sanchez (Cruce Azul), Cesar Montes (Locomotive Moscow), Johan Vázquez (Genoa), and Jesus Gallardo (Toluka) set up four backs. Luis Margon (Club America) wore goalkeeper gloves.
At the beginning of the game, Japan led the game. The strategy of inducing the opponent's defense's mistakes with strong pressure from deep inside the opponent's camp was effective. In the fourth minute, Kubo's left-footed shot in the penalty box went off the post. Endo's mid-range shot in the 7th minute was blocked. In the 11th minute, Mitoma intercepted the ball near the opponent's box and connected the pass to Kubo. Kubo's mid-range shot aimed at the bottom of the right side of the goal was fired by Malagon, the opposing goalkeeper. The Mexican players seemed to be out of their minds, scrambling. Coach Aguirre also watched the game with an anxious look on his face.
In the 15th minute, Watanabe poked a precise long pass from the defensive end towards the design running towards the opponent's goal. Doan, who caught the ball past the final defensive key, attempted a sensational lobbing shot to avoid the goalkeeper who ran out to pressure. The ball flew in the direction of the goal, but the opponent's defender cleared it in front of the goal and ended up in nothing. While Japan, which had been driving fiercely, took its breath away, Mexico began to tap the goal little by little. 23 min Alvarez's header came over the net.
However, Mexico had a bad luck in the 32nd minute of the first half when captain and key midfielder Alvarez suffered an unexpected injury and was replaced by Eric Lira. The first half ended in a 0-0 tie.
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It was also Japan that opened the door first in the second half. In the 7th minute, a right cross crossed the defensive key and connected to Minamino, who was standing on the left side of the box. Minamino tried to make a non-stop volley in a no-mark situation without holding the ball, but the ball was used over the net.
The coaches of both teams began to change players aggressively in the middle of the second half to break the frustrating trend of zero. Japan first put Hiroki Sekine out of Itakura, who showed signs of injury in the 15th minute. Mexico excluded Veiga, Alvardo, Jimenez and Pineda, and put Irving Rosano, Germant Wertherame, Santiago Jimenez and Eric Sanchez in order to make major changes to the offense and midfield. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Japanese goalkeeper Suzuki fired Lira's header in a free kick situation.
Japan managed to escape the crisis in the 23rd minute of the second half, excluding Kubo, Kamada, and Minamino, Maeda Daizen, Sano Kaishu, and Junya Ito were deployed to replace the second line resources. Except for the beginning of the first half, Japan had difficulty implementing the prepared strategy. In particular, there was no threat to the Mexican defense in the second half, except for Minamino's volley. Coach Moriyasu put in Machino Shuto and Suzuki Yuito, excluding Doan and Mitoma, to launch the final game. Mexico also faced off by excluding Luis and putting in Carlos Rodriguez.
At the end of the game, Mexico drove in a scary rush. In the 41st minute, Rosano's shot in the box was hit by the Japanese defense and was ineffective. 42 min Wertherame's shot was slightly off the post. Japan also had a golden opportunity. Ueda was fouled by opposing defender Montes near the box. Montes, who committed a foul, was corrected from warning to exit after the VAR was activated. In extra time in the second half, Japan, which gained a numerical advantage, finished the game without scoring.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
