SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) faced Saudi Arabia in the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 10 October.

Japan have played three matches in Jeddah in the past, all of which ended in a 0-1 defeat. They have never managed to score a goal, and this particular away fixture has always been a difficult one for Japan.

This time, however, was different as they came into the game on the back of consecutive wins to start the round. Even when their opponents, who had played a back-three formation in their previous game, switched to a back-four and attacked relentlessly from the flanks, the players remained calm and collected, finding the best solutions on the pitch against the home side.

The key to this match was Japan's ability to anticipate their opponents' approach and prepare accordingly, as MORITA Hidemasa (Sporting CP) later recalled: "We had talked before the game about the possibility of them playing with four defenders or leaving an anchor player behind, and we had a plan on how to deal with that."

As they did in the previous two matches they won comfortably in September, Japan started with a 3-4-2-1 formation and changed it to suit the situation, such as a 5-4-1 formation when they formed a block in defence.

With SUZUKI Zion (Parma Calcio 1913) in goal and ITAKURA Kou (Borussia MG), TANIGUCHI Shogo (Sint-Truidense VV) and MACHIDA Koki (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise) at the back, Japan were able to thwart Saudi Arabia's attacks with an organised defence. Full-backs DOAN Ritsu (SC Freiburg) and MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC) also contributed to the defence by dealing with the opponents' wide attackers. As Taniguchi later commented, the Japanese defence was very solid: “I didn't feel we were going to be beaten.”

The two defensive midfielders, ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) and Morita, maintained a good balance between offence and defence, working well with the two attacking midfielders, MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) and KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace), to create chances for the striker UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord) and the two full-backs.

Japan scored the opening goal in the 14th minute, when Doan’s diagonal cross was met by Mitoma at the far post, and the winger's cut-back found Morita in the mix, who delivered a header to setup the tap-in goal for Kamada.

In the second half, the home side spent more time with the ball, but this was the result of Japan deliberately allowing their opponents to keep possession, having seen that their build ups and long balls posed no threat to the Japanese defence.

Japan's second goal came in the 81st minute when two of their substitutes combined on a set-piece, as OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen) scored with a header from ITO Junya's (Stade de Reims) corner.

The 2-0 win was Japan's first in Jeddah, a city that has been their kryptonite in the past, and their third in a row in the final round of the Asian qualifiers. They now sit five points clear of second-placed Australia.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We always want to win, but it's always difficult to play in stadiums in Saudi Arabia and we have a poor track record there. However, all the games have been close, and the result could have gone either way in any of them, including today. We were expecting another difficult game, so we came prepared for a tough battle. The term “aggressive three-man defence” is frequently used to describe our system. While it is accurate to say that the team comprises players with offensive capabilities, it is also important to note that the team's tactics and responsibilities require them to be able to defend, and they are trained accordingly. I thought the players did a good job of setting the tone with solid defending in the difficult conditions in Saudi Arabia, rather than just focusing on attacking.

MF/FW #6 ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC/England)
I think the level of each individual player is improving, and in terms of team strength I think it's quite positive that we've been able to keep the same team together. I also think that the younger players in particular aren't too worried about our track record. The fact that they were focused on the game in front of them was a positive thing for us. That was the case in our first game of the final qualifying round in September, when we were not worried about past results. I think everyone is focused on what we need to do in the game, and we prepare for each game by communicating with each other, including the coach.

MF/FW #15 KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace/England)
(On the goal) I think it's important that I'm always in that position, and the fact that I was able to score with the intention of being in that position makes it even more meaningful. The fact that Japan won for the first time in this stadium is more important than how I scored. I think it's great that I was able to contribute to such a memorable win. The quality of the Japanese players is definitely improving, and I feel that the depth of the team has increased, with all the players selected being really good, not just the starting 11.

MF/FW #19 OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen/Netherlands)
I don't think it's particularly my forte, but I scored from a corner last year and I scored again this year, and the fact that we have a lot of big players around me helped to break their concentration. I knew my chance was going to come and I'm glad I was able to finish at that crucial stage of the game. It would have been better if I had finished with the previous shot (which hit the opponent), but I think it was very important for the team to get the second goal at that time. I'm happy to have contributed to the team's victory, but the next game will be even more important for us, so I want to prepare well for it.

AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road To 26

Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs Saudi Arabia National Team
Date: Thu. 10 October 2024, 21:00 (Fri. 11 October 3:00 Japan time)
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Tournament information