Quadrangular International Futsal Tournament vs Belarus Futsal National Team
Wed. 26 September 2018 Kick-off 14:00 (local time) Match duration 40mins (20mins x2)
Shahid Poursharifi Arena, Tabriz, Iran

Japan Futsal National Team 2-2 (0-2, 2-0) Belarus Futsal National Team

Scores
1' goal against (Belarus Futsal National Team)
5' goal against (Belarus Futsal National Team)
24' own goal (Japan Futsal National Team)
38' MORIOKA Kaoru (Japan Futsal National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: SEKIGUCHI Yushi
FP: MINAMOTO Akira, YOSHIKAWA Tomoki, HOSHI Shota, NISHITANI Ryosuke

Reserves
GK: PIRES Higor
FP: UCHIMURA Shunta, ANDO Ryohei, KOKADO Yuta, TAKITA Manabu, MORIOKA Kaoru, MUROTA Yuki, UCHIDA Shunta, KATO Minami

Match Report

On Wednesday 26 September, the Japan Futsal National Team played against the Belarus Futsal National Team as their third match of the Quadrangular International Futsal Tournament in Iran.

After losing their first match against Ukraine and drawing the second match against Iran, the Japanese side went into the final match with a strong intention to win the match as a team.

However, the match started with Belarus scoring the opening goal in the first minute. Japan struggled to find their rhythm as they have conceded the opening goal in every match of this tournament. The Belarus side took advantage of the mistakes made by Japan and extended their lead with another goal scored in the fifth minute.

During halftime, Coach Bruno GARCIA told his players, “We cannot go home like this. We must take action to pick up the pace and change the rhythm of the match. Show me that you belong here to play for the Japan National Team.”

In response to the coach’s pep-talk, the Japanese players picked up their performance level and attacked the Belarus goal. In the 24th minute, KATO Minami (SHRIKER OSAKA) penetrated the side with a great individual effort and struck a shot. The shot deflected off an opposing player and went into the goal. Now with momentum on their side, Japan kept on attacking, but struggled to find the equaliser. In efforts to level the match, Japan played their power play in the 38th minute. With a numerical advantage on the field, Japan drew a foul in the 39th minute, which the veteran striker, MORIOKA Kaoru (Pescadola Machida) capitalised to equalise the match. Both teams played with great intensity to win the match, but the match ended with a final score of 2-2.

In the other match, the Iran Futsal National Team defeated the Ukraine Futsal National Team to secure the title, while Japan finished in third place.

Final rankings of the Quadrangular International Futsal Tournament
Champions: Iran Futsal National Team
Runners-up: Ukraine Futsal National Team
Third place: Japan Futsal National Team
Fourth place: Belarus Futsal National Team

Coach and Players’ Comments

Bruno GARCIA, Coach (Japan Futsal National Team)
We faced three teams with very different play styles, and all three presented us with great challenge. They were all very difficult matches, but through the high-level competition, we were given a great learning experience. Even though we have arrived in Iran the day before our first match, our players did well to execute the game plan in each of the matches. The team showed great improvements over the course, especially in our final match against Belarus where we came back from being down by two goals. This tournament gave us a great opportunity to realise our strong points.

GK #1 SEKIGUCHI Yushi (NAGOYA OCEANS)
It is a shame that we couldn’t win a single match during this Iran tour. I personally conceded five goals during the tournament, and it’s definitely not a good result. If I’m given the chance again, I will do my best to contribute for the team’s victory.

FP #5 MINAMOTO Akira (TACHIKAWA/FUCHU ATHLETIC F.C.)
We conceded a goal from the exact pattern we were aware from our scouting report and made it a tough match for us. It made us realise that when facing an equally matched team, we cannot afford to make small mistakes, as it can determine the outcome of the match. We faced three teams that were equally matched with us, and I felt like we had to win matches like these in order for us to step up the overall quality of the team. We must keep on working to brush up our strong points and improve ourselves so that we can overcome these challenges as a team.

Schedule

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