The final test match of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, where a ticket to the Paris Olympics is up for grabs. For the two matches against the Mali Under-23 national team and the Ukraine Under-23 national team, four players from Tokyo were selected, who have already decided to participate in this tournament, including Brandon Nozawa, Kashifu Bangunagunde, Kuo Matsuki and Ryotaro . Araki. Nozawa and Yoshifu were included in the starting eleven for the match against Mali on 22 March, and Matsuki and Araki were included in the starting eleven for the match against Ukraine on 25 March.
The match against the Mali national U-23 team was the first match against an African team for the Japan U-23 national team, led by coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa. In a match against an opponent who had speed, power, agility and organizational strength, they initially scored the first goal from a set piece, but made coordination errors and lost the match after conceding three goals. For Japan, it has proven fruitful both in terms of challenges and gains.
Actively participate in attacks
Physical ability that can’t be beat
Bangunagunde Gyashibu
Bangunagunde Jiafu, who started at left back, showed aggressive play, including dribbling from a high position in the 9th minute of the first half, penetrating the penalty area and receiving a foul. He shouted commands from behind like “Change!” and “Your mark is empty!” to keep the team compact, and from his left-back position, he also controlled the final line. In the 12th minute of the second half, he earned a corner kick with a long, powerful, unspinned shot from around 40 metres. He remained on the pitch until the 19th minute of the second half.
“I felt he was physically strong, powerful and fast, but personally I felt he was better than I expected at dealing with people and running into each other. (I managed to do well on the attacking side, but) “As a full-back I’m a defender . Conceding three goals is not a good thing. We need to correct this as a team and as individuals. Having experience with the national team, I feel that the players who play in this match have a great responsibility: when we play a match everyone must behave as a leader and I think it is my fault if there are goals conceded in which I was not directly involved.
I feel that in a strong team every individual has a great sense of responsibility and we have to become that kind of player and team. I also think I need to keep spreading the word. I want to fight to reach a higher level both in Tokyo and in the national team and, although defense is a prerequisite, I also want to become a feared player in attack.”
A guardian deity who played on the Japanese national team
Taishi Nozawa Brandon
For Brandon Taishi Nozawa, named goalkeeper in this match, this was his first official pitch since the last league match of last season. Although he was selected for the Japan national team for the Thai national team’s New Year’s match and the AFC Asian Cup in January, he was delayed due to injury and continued to sit on the bench in Tokyo, returning to action for the first time in about three and a half months. .
In the 5th minute of the first half he was forced into a one-on-one by his opponent, but he remained unmoved until the last minute and firmly limited his run. At 14′ of the first half they responded to their opponent’s mid-range shot which went home.
However, in the 34th minute of the first half, the ball was stolen in front of the goal due to a mismatch in the setup and they managed to score the equaliser, but in the 8th minute of the second half they were unable to deflect a strong shot from the non-rotating medium distance coming from the blind and is forced to hit the opponent, allowing him to reverse. In the final stages he broke his right side and he was deducted an extra point.
“I knew that this match would give momentum to the Asian Cup, which is the last qualifying round. I think the mistakes that were made (in my first competitive appearance in a while) had an impact (on my game I think so, but I don’t want to use it as an excuse. Personally I was in good shape, so it was the first time in a long time that I made a mistake like that, but I made a play “It should never have happened in a national team match “We made a number of mistakes that a goalkeeper shouldn’t make, so I think we can correct them quickly. The last qualifying round is coming up soon and we want to improve our image in preparation for that.”
Although the match was a disappointing result, the guardian spirit that had experience in the Japanese national team guided the team, with his loud coaching calls from the back echoing throughout the stadium over and over again in his first match after a bit’.
In the match against the Ukrainian Under-23 national team, played on the second day of middle school, Oiwa Japan’s frontal pressing, which is their lifeline, was effective against an opponent who was forming in an organized way. The flow of the attack was smoothed out by the fact that each player played well receiving the ball in the middle. In the match, Japan took the lead in the 3rd minute of the second half with a set, and added another point in the 31st minute of the second half by stealing the ball from a high position on an audacious press. Although the type of opponent was different from that of the match against Mali, they overcame the problems encountered in the first match and achieved the victory by demonstrating their strength as a team.
The Tokyo captain has a strong presence in both attack and defense
Matsuki Kusei
Kuo Matsuki, starting alongside Ryotaro Araki in the inside half of a 4-3-3, made his presence felt everywhere with his trademark movement and ability to steal the ball. Not only did he contribute to a smooth transition from defense to attack with his aggressive pressing, but in the 33rd minute of the first half he volleyed a loose ball from a corner straight into his left foot. Unfortunately this shot was deflected off the crossbar, but it showed his presence both in attack and defense.
In the 36th minute of the first half, he made a precise feed with his left foot to Araki, who was trying to run into space. Even if a decisive opportunity did not arise in a short time, he still demonstrated the great potential of the “Blue-Red Hotline”.
“I think we were very fluid in our attack and all that was left to do was make the decisions. I think we managed to finish smoothly and created a lot of chances. I think we can look at the fact that we were able to look at this as a very good point. From now on, I want to make decisions more in the flow of things, and next time I want to show this kind of thing in Asia. (Regarding the collaboration with Araki), with Taro -kun, For me it is very easy to do. We always look at each other, and even when I return to Tokyo, I can continue to improve this combination. I would like to further refine these aspects and raise my level as an individual. Masu”
Become the center of the attack and create decisive opportunities
Ryotaro Araki
The person who really shone in this match was Ryotaro Araki, called up to the Japanese national team for the first time in two years since March 2022. In the national team match, which we won in Tokyo after scoring 4 goals in 4 league matches, I entered the field with the feeling that “There is something special about playing with Japan behind me”, and from the beginning, I was known as “Araki’s team”. They collected the ball as you would expect and were involved on many occasions.
Early on, he held off the opposition defenders in the penalty area, slid to the right and fired a shot, and in the 12th minute of the first half, he combined with Joru Chima Fujita (Sint-Truiden) to penetrate the depth. the nearby pocket on the left side. Furthermore, in the 14th minute of the first half, he received a horizontal pass and used his deft footwork to catch it vertically and swing it with his right foot, and in the 22nd minute of the first half he induced a press from in front. line and created a decisive opportunity. Immediately after the start of the second half, two minutes into the game, he entered from the left and fired a powerful shot with his right foot, which led to the corner kick from which Keiyoshi Sato (Bremen) scored the first goals.
On the pitch at Kitakyushu Stadium was Araki, playing for the national team for the first time in a long time, but he was the center of the attack, just as he had done in Tokyo.
Fujita, the match captain who took over the role of host, also said: “(Araki) has a really high level of skill in receiving the ball with precision and space. There were many scenes where the ball came naturally in such situations, or where the pass was passed after having stolen it.”, and since they immediately demonstrated good cooperation, he was immediately appointed as a regular candidate.
Even though we couldn’t score a goal individually, it was a great result for us as a team. Araki himself spoke about his response in a calm tone, saying: “I was able to do what I had both offensively and defensively. I think I played really well and did what I could do.”
“We were able to move the ball very well and were able to exploit the opponent’s gaps and advance. The relationship in the midfield (with Joru Chima Fujita and Matsuki) was really good. (It led to the first goal) ” “The corner went exactly as expected. After the championship match, I had a good feeling with the ball, so I was actively aiming for shots. I’m ready to go (to the AFC U23 Asian Cup), and I” I will improve my performance when I am selected. It’s been a short time since I came back (to Tokyo), but I want to do my best so I can do my best.”
Representative week for all four parties. It was a time when each of us renewed our vows for the future, with challenges and challenges in hand. The squad for the AFC U23 Asian Cup will be announced in early April and Oiwa Japan will travel to Qatar for the first match on April 16. With the ambition and determination acquired through this activity in their hearts, the young fighters of the Tokyo representative team will once again don their blue-red uniforms and take to the field at J.
text by Chio Aoyama
photo by Kenichi Arai
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