In third place with one win and one loss after two matches of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea, U-20 Japan National Team, aiming to advance to the knockout phase with a win or a draw with two goals or more, faced U-20 Italy at Cheonan Sports Complex on Saturday 27 May.

Considering forward OGAWA Koki’s absence due to injury and the players’ fatigue after consecutive games with a two-day break, Japan made some changes to their starting line-ups. While placing tournament debutants SUGIOKA Daiki as left fullback and TAGAWA Kyosuke as forward, Uruguay-match substitutes left fullback HATSUSE Ryo and right wingback ENDO Keita started from the beginning of the game.

In the following tournament, group winners and runners-up along with the four best second-place teams among all the groups qualify for the knock phase of the tournament. Italy with three points were level with Japan on points but placed above the Japanese counterparts on goal difference, and only required a draw to secure their current second place and advance to the knockout phase. On the other hand, Japan would guarantee their qualification with a win or a draw with two or more goals scored, while a scoreless or 1-1 tie would only increase their chance of advancement to the next round. Japanese coach UCHIYAMA Atsushi commented prior to the game, ‘We are looking to win, but more importantly, we cannot lose this game.’

While keeping the qualification hopes alive was the most important objective of the match for the Japanese squad, their game plan had to be altered after conceding two early goals. In the 3rd minute, Andrea FAVILLI reacted to the lobbed ball behind the Japanese backline to send in a superb volleyed left-cross into the centre, where Riccardo ORSOLINI calmly netted home to open the scoring for Italy. Then four minutes later, the young Italians doubled their lead after a neat free kick just to the right of the Japanese wall was expertly turned in on a brilliant half-volley by Giuseppe PANICO.

Japan were under increasing pressure to get through the group stage, but partly helped by the opponents who stayed back in defence, they kept possession and waited patiently for their chances to score goals. Gamba Osaka Trio, Hatsuse Ryo, DOAN Ritsu and ICHIMARU Mizuki worked the right flank brilliantly with swift passes and created good attacking rhythm for his team, while on the other side, Sugioka combined with halfback Endo on the overlap to break through the Italian defence. Then, an awaited goal for the Japanese squad came in the 22nd minute, when Doan, who commented later, ‘I knew that the opposing defenders had the height advantage, but there was an open space once the ball went past them as well’, reacted to Endo’s early cross behind the Italian defence to slot home between the legs of the goalkeeper and closed the gap to a single goal.

As Endo noted after the game, ‘it meant a lot to score that goal back then,’ the young Japanese international found their composure and confidence both defensively and offensively, and started to take the initiative of the match from the complacent European side. Few scoring chances were created in the first half as Doan and Ichimaru threatened the opponents’ goal in the 33rd and 41st minutes, respectively, but the Italian goalkeeper denied their chance of levelling the match.

Nothing changed in the second half as the continental counterparts only needing a draw to qualify to the next round stayed back and defended in numbers, and the Asian squad continued their search for goals. But then the complexity of the game was soon altered in the 50th minute, when Doan showcased a world-class performance to level the match with his brilliant ball-handling skills. After receiving a neat pass from Ichimaru just outside the box, the Japanese forward cut through three Italian defenders to tap in a long-awaited equaliser. An emotional gesture was made in remembrance for the injured forward OGAWA Koki who watched the match from the stands as the goal striker rushed to the bench to raise his jersey after the stunning goal.

Thereafter, satisfying the qualification requirements with a 2-2 draw for both sides, the stagnant period continued as noted by the Japanese coach, ‘a 2-2 tie would work for both teams’, and they assumed less risk and waited only for the final whistle to settle the match with the same scoreline.

With a record of one win, one loss and one draw in the group stage, Japan qualified with four points as one of the top four third-placed teams among all the groups. A scoreless draw in the other match has secured Uruguay to finish top of Group D, followed by Italy in second place, while South Africa remained in the bottom to end their World Cup campaign.

Match Report

Coach's and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach (U-20 Japan National Team)
Depending on the fixture results of other groups, we knew we could still qualify by finishing in third place. To have a better chance of advancing to the next round, I told my players prior to the match, ‘We need to at least draw the match’. Conceding two early goals is certainly something we have to address after the game. And, of course, it would have been better if we had won the match. But, I have to note that my players responded superbly considering that we were two goals behind and came back to level the match to snatch an important point and exactly knew what was needed thereafter to get through the group stage. In order for my players to experience as many top international matches as possible, we were aiming to advance to the knockout stage. Many things happened in the 90 minutes today, but my players performed superbly to achieve that goal.

DF #15 SUGIOKA Daiki (Shonan Bellmare)
I felt a bit unsettled after conceding the first goal from my error, but I refreshed my mind to focus on the tasks at hand and played much better thereafter. In terms of one-on-one defence, being able to composedly block a shot attempt by the opposing number seven at the end of the play was definitely a positive for me. I performed better than expected, and gained some confidence going forward. I would like to get more involved both offensively and defensively in the game by putting up some assists with better communication with my teammates.

MF #7 DOAN Ritsu (Gamba Osaka)
We entered the match poorly, and as a result we might have panicked a little at the beginning. But, I stayed composed and hoped that my positive attitude towards the game would uplift my team. Even during tough stretches, I did not hesitate to challenge the opponents. The first goal was well-assisted by Endo. I really wanted to score at least a goal in the first half and stretched out to reach for the ball for that goal. The second came in as I capitalized on my dribbling skills. We were fighting today for injured teammate Ogawa as well, and I hope this result would encourage him in his recovery.

MF #11 ENDO Keita (Yokohama F・Marinos)
Rather waiting near the line to initiate attacks from the side, I attempted to create better rhythm in the match by exchanging passes in the middle. I felt I combined well with Sugioka and HARA Teruki down the left flank as well. I thought ‘we had our backs against the wall’ after we conceded the second goal, but we still managed to strike back. I believe we are more united now as a team. Of course, the result means everything, and I am pleased we have advanced to the knockout stage.

MF #17 ICHIMARU Mizuki (Gamba Osaka)
Just before we scored the first goal, we started to work the right side much better and created good attacking rhythm. In regards to the second goal, I selected a forward pass to allow Doan to carry on with dribbling rather than directing the ball towards his feet and giving him the time to dodge the challenge of the defenders with his spin moves. After levelling the match, we still tried to score the go-ahead goal, but more importantly our priority was set on defending against the opponents’ counter-attacks. I believe Hara and I worked well together to control the remainder of the match.

Schedule

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