On Monday 25 November, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team played their third group stage match against the Switzerland Beach Soccer National Team at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup taking place at Asuncion, Paraguay.

Following their back to back wins against Paraguay and USA, Japan entered their third match in Group A with their ticket into the knockout stage at stake. The match stared with Japan taking the initiative, as AKAGUMA Takuya scored the opening goal in the second minute. With Akaguma showing great form since the first match against Paraguay, he went onto score the team’s second goal, when he responded to a pass delivered by MATSUO Naoya in the eighth minute.

After entering the second period with a 2-1 lead, Japan managed to extend their lead in the 21st minute, when OBA Takaaki scored a goal with a magnificent assist coming from YAMAUCHI Shusei. Just 18 seconds later, Yamauchi assisted another goal, this time feeding the ball to MOREIRA Ozu, who struck a powerful shot to make it 4-1.

Despite carrying a commanding lead into the third period, Japan continued to pounce on their opportunities, as the team’s fifth goal was scored in the 29th minute. The goal came from a delivery from TABATA Teruki that allowed KOMAKI Masayuki to strike a well-timed volley that pierced the Swiss goal.

Switzerland rallied back at the end of the match, as their ace Dejan STANKOVIC capitalised on errors made by Japan to score consecutive goals in the 33rd and 35th minute. However, Japan held onto their lead to book their third victory at the group stage to advance to the knockout stage as the group leader.

Match Details

The Japan Beach Soccer National Team will now face the Uruguay Beach Soccer National Team at the quarterfinals on Thursday 28 November at 21:00 (Friday 29 at 9:00 Japan time).

Coaches and Players' Comments

RAMOS Ruy, Coach
I am glad that we were able to win all three matches. After going through a frustrating stretch in the first two matches, Komaki should be able to gain a positive momentum from that goal he scored today. Yamauchi has also picked up his form and showed a great performance with his two assists. I am just waiting for him to start scoring some goals now.

MAKINO Shinji, Assistant Coach
Although he was very eager to play, we didn’t want to exhaust Moreira, so we monitored his minutes and had him sit on the bench to rest up. Winning three matches at the group stage should give us great momentum for the knockout stage. However, one loss will mean the end of the tournament and our opponents will be fully committed to win the match. That is why we must prepare ourselves in the best way possible ahead of the match. Japan has become a really good team and I have high hopes for this team.

FP #8 KOMAKI Masayuki (Veertien Mie BS)
The ball came at a perfect timing and I had no options but to strike a volley shot. That goal really sealed the match for us, so I am glad I was able to score that goal. I struggled to find my rhythm during our first two matches, and I was getting frustrated by it, but that goal made everything better. I want to give back to coach Ramos for believing in me, so I will continue to give my best efforts at the knockout stage.

FP #9 YAMAUCHI Shusei (Tokyo Verdy BS)
In the scene where we scored the first goal, I heard Oba calling for the ball, so I made the decision to pass the ball just before I was about to strike a shot. The second assist was an easy decision because Moreira was wide open. I am usually a player who wants to score goal by myself, but today, I chose plays that gave us the better odds to score goals. With the knockout stage coming up, I hope to score goals that really matters for us. I will definitely score a goal at the quarterfinal.

Schedule

*Local time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019

Tournament Dates: Thu. 21 November - Sun. 1 December 2019

Tournament Information