On 16 September, the U-21 Japan National Team held a training session at a ground in Ansan near Incheon, in preparation for their second match in the group stage the following day.

Since they won their first match, they were in a very good mood and quite relaxed during the practice session. They practiced all the way from the build-up at the defensive line to shots on goal through sustained possession. They also ran through some set pieces at the end.

The match against Iraq is important, as if Japan wins, it might decide whether they advance to the next stage, depending on the other match’s result.

However, Iraq means a lot more to the players, who have never forgot what happened against previously. The players played against Iraq twice in the past and lost twice with one goal difference - in the semifinal of the AFC U-19 Championship in 2012 and in the semifinal of the AFC U-22 Championship in January this year. Especially in the AFC U-19 Championship, Japan’s loss meant that they did not qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

They cannot lose to the same team three times. The players are determined ahead of their tomorrow’s match.

Comments

TEGURAMORI Makoto Head Coach
The players were very relaxed at the athletes' dormitories. I showed them the video of the Iraq match in order to motivate them. For this generation of the national team, Iraq reminds them of bitter losses - they played twice and lost twice. So the players have to get payback. I told them that this would be the match to show who might win the Asian Games championship, even though it’s still only at the group stage. I believe the players understood this and they’ll try their best.
I think Iraq can change their playing system and style during the match, and yet use each individual’s skills very well. The stronger the opponent is, the bigger chance we’ll have to improve ourselves.
We’d like to play our best and improve even more.

NOTSUDA Gakuto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
There is a very good atmosphere around. We stay positive, motivated for the coming match as a united team. As we won our first game, we built up some positive momentum, which makes us believe we can win the coming games.
Although I had some goal-scoring opportunities, I’m gutted that I couldn’t find the back of the net. I expect the match against Iraq will be tough. I’d like to play well in order to contribute to my team.
We lost to the same opponent, Iraq, twice in the past, which was really frustrating. We all just want to win this time. We never want to lose again.

UEDA Naomichi (Kashima Antlers)
I think the atmosphere around is great. We are all highly motivated for tomorrow’s game. All we have to do is show our motivation in our game. Although we didn’t lose the game in the air against Kuwait, this kind of ability is vital to get through to the next stage. I expect there will be stronger players and I’m looking forward to compete with those in the air. I once lost to Iraq. So I just can’t lose to the same team again. Actually, this thought motivates me a lot. I’d like to win tomorrow.

<Note> Ueda did not play in the match against Iraq in the AFC U-19 Championship.

U-21 Japan National Team Match Schedule

17th Asian Games （2014/Incheon）Groups