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epa12525516 Japan's Takumi Minamino celebrates after scoring a goal during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, 14 November 2025. EPA/JIJI PRESS JAPAN OUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY
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Ghana's Alidu Seidu, left, battles for the ball against Japan's Junnosuke Suzuki during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana in Toyota, central Japan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Japan's momentum is scary. After Brazil, he also caught Ghana.
The Japanese national soccer team, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, won 2-0 in a friendly match against Ghana at Toyota Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 14th. Japan, which beat Brazil (3-2 wins) in the A-match in October, beat Ghana. With this, Moriyasu won his 100th command.
Japan has the upper hand in terms of objective power. Japan is 19th in the FIFA rankings. Ghana ranked 73rd. Both teams have confirmed their advance to the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup finals.
Japan used a 3-4-2-1 formation. Ayase Ueda stepped up as the front-line striker. From the left and right sides, Takumi Minamino and Takefusa Kubo helped. At the waist were Keito Nakamura, Ao Tanaka, Kaishu Sano, and Doan Ritz. Suzuki Junnosuke, Taniguchi Shogo, and Watanabe Tsuyoshi were in charge of defense. Tomoki Hayakawa defended the goal.
Ghana also came up with a 3-4-2-1 tactic. Brandon Thomas Asante led the attack. Antoine Semeno and Kamaldin Sulemana came forward as flankers. Derek ?, Kwasi Sivo, Abu Francis and Kaleb Irenki were among the midfielders. Jonas Ajetay, Kozo Pefra Opong and Jerome Opoku were located in the three-back. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Joseph Annang.
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epa12525518 Japan's Takumi Minamino celebrates after scoring a goal during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, 14 November 2025. EPA/JIJI PRESS JAPAN OUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY
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Ghana's Antoine Semenyo, left, battles for the ball against Japan's Tsuyoshi Watanabe during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana in Toyota, central Japan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Japan led the game from the beginning. He constantly led the attack by obtaining a set piece through an opponent's foul. Japan, which was tapping, broke the balance of '0' in the 16th minute of the first half. Minamino's first goal came out. Sano took away the opponent's ball and dug into the camp. Passed to Minamino on the other side from the right side. The opponent's defense failed to prevent it, and Minamino caught it and scored the first goal. Japan led 1-0.
Ghana also launched a counterattack. However, it was not finished. Rather, he faced a dizzying situation in the 40th minute of the first half due to Kwasi Shibo's injury. Japan took advantage of the clutter and aimed for an additional goal. But there was no extra point. Japan led the first half 1-0.
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Japan's Junnosuke Suzuki, right, battles for the ball against Ghana's Christopher Bonsu Baah during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana in Toyota, central Japan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Paramedics carry Ghana's Francis Abu on a stretcher after getting injured during the international friendly soccer match between Japan and Ghana in Toyota, central Japan, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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In the second half, Japan opened with Ueda's shot. Ghana even had an injury issue. Eventually, I took out my replacement card. With the exception of Abu Francis and Antoine Semeno, Alidou Seidou and Prince Kwabena Aadou.
Japan scored an additional goal in a chaotic atmosphere. Doan scored an additional goal in the 15th minute of the second half. The design received the ball that Kubo slightly took out from the center and completed it with a left-footed mid-range shot. Japan widened the gap to 2-0.
Japan also used replacement cards. Sugawara Yukinari and Fujita Joel skirts were added without Doan and Tanaka. It's been a slow time. In the 30th minute of the second half, both teams threw a game through replacement cards. Japan added Kitano Sota, Ando Tomoya and Koto Keisuke instead of Kubo, Minamino and Ueda. Japan also deployed Nakamura and Sato Ryunosuke to give young players a chance. Keisuke Goto was born in 2005 and Ryunosuke Sato was born in 2006. Japan showed its concentration until the end to end the victory.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
