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| Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of the Japanese national soccer team. AFP Yonhap News |
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| Japan-Brazil match scene. REUTERS Yonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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'The key to this game was a single replacement that won the admiration of the players.'
Japanese soccer media 'Football Zone' re-examined the A-match friendly match between Japan and Brazil held at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo on the 15th and the 14th, a day before. Japan lost consecutive points to Paulo Enrique (Bascodagama) and Gabriel Martinelli (Asnall) in the first half of the day, but in the second half, Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), Keito Nakamura (Stade de Reims) and Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord) made a 3-2 comeback. The Japanese archipelago cheered for the first victory (1 win, 2 draws and 11 losses) in the history of the national team against the world's strongest Brazil and the first A-match upset since the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage match against Spain (2-1 wins).
'Footballzone' was not unexpected, but an inevitable result. Japan lost two goals in the first half. If it had continued as a generation, it would have been a complete defeat. However, Japan, led by manager Hajime Moriyasu, turned into a completely different team in the second half. As soon as the whistle went off in the second half, he increased his performance and put pressure on the front. 'The pressure created by the 3-6-1 tactic threw Brazil into chaos'
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| APYonhap News |
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According to the outlet, winger Doan Ritz (Eintracht Frankfurt), the winning player, told Japanese media after the game "Tactically, we played with the central defense a little bit back (in the first half). Through this, I think I was able to save energy in the second half and win the come-from-behind victory. Until now, the energy was depleted in the second half by actively applying pressure from the first half. Today, I was able to pour more energy into the second half", citing a different customized game plan against Brazil as the winning factor.
Moriyasu said, `There were a lot of details, including the tactical side, but the players went through a tough first half. Through calm and constructive communication with the players who returned at half-time, they communicated about how to adjust in the second half. The team clearly communicated their role in the second half to the players, and thanks to this, the team adjusted (tactics) to the situation in the second half and was able to maintain concentration. This led to a reversal."
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| Junya Ito (third from left) is competing for the ball with Hodrigo. AFP Yonhap News |
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'Football Zone' cited the replacement of midfielder Junya Ito (Stade de Reims) as the 'key to the reversal'. Ito substituted Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad), who injured his ankle in the 9th minute of the second half, to assist Nakamura and Ueda's goals. What's surprising is that ito, a side resource, has won a shadow striker roll that Gubo played, not a wingback. Doan, who played as a wing-back on the day, thought it was really great when Ito said 'Ritz, just keep going '" expressed amazement. "Usually I play shadow and Junya plays wide (wingback). I thought Jun-ya would play on the side. But on this day, Jun-ya ran as a shadow."
The design is "Jokingly, but we called it 'Qatar Tactics". It really worked." In other words, his experience of beating strong teams such as Spain and Germany at the Qatar World Cup became the basis for his victory against Brazil. Minamino said "This style of play is absolutely necessary when you face a strong team in a World Cup."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
