On Tuesday 28 March, SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) hosted Thailand in their seventh match of the 2018 World Cup Final Asian Qualifiers at Saitama Stadium and posted a comprehensive 4-0 victory after beating UAE 2-0 last week to increase their points to 16.

Midfielder KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund) opened the scoring for the Samurai Blue in the 8th minute, while forward OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City) doubled the lead in the 19th and celebrated his 50th goal for the national team. After the break, KUBO Yuya (KAA Gent) added the third by scoring in two straight matches, before captain YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton) headed home the fourth to complete a 4-0 rout just before regulation time.

As a result, Japan with 16 points are now top of the group with 5 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, while Saudi Arabia are level on points, but second on goal difference after beating Iraq 1-0 later on the same day.
　
Australia with 13 points now trail the leaders by three points and stand in third after beating UAE 2-0. Sitting in fourth place is UAE with 9 points, followed by Iraq with 4. Bottom Thailand with only 1 point was eliminated from the qualification race for the 2018 World Cup with three games remaining.

With injuries from the UAE match, Japan was forced to sideline midfielder KONNO Yasuyuki (Gamba Osaka) and forward OSAKO Yuya (1.FC Koeln). Defender SAKAI Gotoku (Hamburger Sport) came in as a replacement and paired up with midfielder YAMAGUCHI Hotaru (Cerezo Osaka) in a defensive midfielder role, while Okazaki subbed in and took on a centre forward position. All the other players remained the same from the previous UAE match, and Japan started the Thailand match with a familiar 4-2-3-1 system.

Japan opened the scoring in the 8th minute after Kubo crossed a brilliant ball from the right side to the centre, where Kagawa after dodging few defenders calmly fired in a right-footer into the back of the net.

After 19th minutes, MORISHIGE Masato (F.C. Tokyo) flicked a neat ball to Kubo on the right side, where he send in a superb cross to the near post and towards onrushing Okazaki, who brilliantly netted a header and marked his 50th goal for the national team—only two other Japanese international surpassed this scoring landmark.

After taking a two-goal lead, Japan lost their momentum unexpectedly, while Thailand facing a must-win match to stay in the qualification race for the World Cup came back aggressively to score goals. Added to the problem were few notable errors from the Japanese side. In the closing minutes of the first half, Thailand nearly scored off a goalmouth scramble, but thanks to the tenacious defence led by KAWASHIMA Eiji (Football Club de Metz), Samurai Blue were able to maintain their two-goal advantage before halftime.

The key members for the Thailand National Team play for their domestic champions Muangthong United. Right after the break, defender TRISTAN DO and midfielder CHANATHIP SONGKRASIN, who transferred to J. League CONSADOLE SAPPORO during the winter break, threatened the Japanese goal by dribbling and exploiting the space from both sides. Japan had to endure some rough time in their own end, while Thailand maintained their attacking momentum into the second half.

Tough stretch continued for Japan as defender ADISON PROMRAK and CHANATHIP attempted a pair of shots at goal, but goalkeeper Kawashima parried away for a corner. However, the Japanese woes did not cease and forward SIROD CHATTHONG fired a shot inside the penalty area capitalising on this chance. Fortunately for the Japanese side, none of their attempts successfully found the target.

Kubo shone again in the 57th minute as he scored the third against the run of play. After receiving a throw-in from the right side, he cut towards the centre passing by a defender and curled in a left-footed stunner to the top right-hand corner to extend the lead to three goals, successfully finding the net in two consecutive matches.

In the 66th minute, HONDA Keisuke (AC Milan) was subbed in replacing HARAGUCHI Genki (Hertha BSC Berlin) as a left midfielder. Then, three minutes later, Honda created a scoring chance as he directly connected a pass from Kagawa to Okazaki up front. Moments later, Honda receiving a ball from SAKAI Gotoku surged up the middle and attempted a shot at goal, but was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.

Furthermore, KIYOTAKE Hiroshi (Cerezo Osaka) replaced Kagawa in the 74th minute and orchestrated a chance in the 80th minute, where Kubo nearly scored his double with a right-footed volley shot, but again was denied by a brilliant one-handed save by the Thai goalkeeper. Then, three minutes later, Honda’s header attempt at the far post from a neat lobbed cross from Kubo earned a corner. Kiyotake’s superb delivery from this placed kick found Yoshida scoring the fourth with a bullet header in the middle.

Despite the four goal deficit, Thailand continued to attack the Japanese goal and their last-ditch effort in the 86th minute earned them a penalty kick, after forward TEERASIL DANGDA was illegally taken down inside the box, However, the spot kick was brilliantly pushed away by goalkeeper Kawashima, who helped his team to keep a clean sheet for two straight games and secure a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Thailand.

Match Details

Three more games remain for the 2018 World Cup Final Asian Qualifiers. Samurai Blue will face Iraq away from home in their eighth qualification match on 13 June.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

Vahid HALILHODZIC、Coach of Samurai Blue (Japan National Team)
Despite winning convincingly, I am not fully satisfied with our performance today. We started off nicely getting ahead 2-0, but then we lost our focus and our work-rate came down. While Thailand were aggressively seeking for goals and played with quality, we allowed them to create few scoring chances. I was frustrated with the low-quality passes seen at times, and our game management was not the level I expected to be. I must warn that in the top-level matches, if we lose our concentration and fail to work hard until the end of the match, we can give away a chance to win the game. We need to get our focus back and work hard in training again.

However, I saw many wonderful plays as well as superb goals came off such plays. I have to congratulate my players for posting a comprehensive 4-0 victory. I am also pleased that Kashima made a significant contribution to the team and Kubo demonstrated his talent in the past two games, showcasing his clinical finishing and wonderful passing including the two assists he marked today. I have to say that Kubo was a delightful discovery and I hope he continues to improve as a footballer. Adding to the joy were the goals from Kagawa and Okazaki, who both should gain some confidence after this match.

I expect the remaining three matches to be even tougher. We need to raise our current form and the level of concentration to get through the qualifiers.

FW KUBO Yuya (KAA Gent/Belgium)
I entered the game thinking about attacking down the flanks. I was able to stay composed when crossing the ball or attempting a shot at goal. I am pleased that the result actually followed as I marked two assists and scored a goal. I will continue to work hard and improve so that our national team can keep their winning streak.

FW OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City Football Club/England)
I had a clear image of scoring the goal until the very moment I made contact with the ball. It was an important goal to get back my ‘striker’s intuition’ and for my team as well. I knew I could contribute to my team by competing with persistence and perseverance. I also understand that I need to improve even more. In today’s game, I realised I want to get more chances to play as a centre forward. I will not hesitate to take a step back and find what I need to improve to become a better player in the future.

DF YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC/England)
The result was commendable, but not the performance. We found many issues we need to address, and I found it as a near miracle that we kept a clean sheet. However, it was significant that we secured three points despite our poor performance on top of scoring four goals. We need to re-examine what we need to improve while winning.

KIATISUK SENAMUANG, Coach (Thailand National Team)
I would like to congratulate Japan for earning three points today. Japan capitalised on their scoring opportunities, and the quality of passing and finishing was absolutely superb. We also had well-constructed plays and created our own scoring chances, but failed to convert the penalty kick towards the end of the game. However, I would praise my players for fighting until the very end. This match was an important experience for the development of our football. We will capitalise on this experience and will not give up an easy win for the remainder of the Asian qualifiers.

Schedule

*Open to the media for the first 15min.
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.