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- Japan vs China Hosoya scores the first goal in the first half (right, Kyodo)
[Yongin (Korea) 12th = Nagata Jun]Japan (17th in the FIFA ranking) defeated China (94th in the 2nd place) 2-0 to make it their second consecutive win, putting the team at the top of the tournament. With all the starting players being replaced in the first game, in the 11th minute of the first half, forward Hosoya Masahiro (23, Kashiwa) scored with his right foot to take the lead, and in the 18th minute of the second half, midfielder Mochizuki Henry Kaiki (23, Machida) scored the first goal in the national team. Hosoya, who was entrusted with the number 10 as the ace of the domestic group, took revenge in the previous tournament, which ended up not finishing goals, and proposed to become a member of the 2026 World Cup North and Central America Tournament. The final third round will be competing with its arch-rival South Korea on the 15th, the host country. ◇ ◇ ◇ FW Hosoya, who was given the role in the second match, exploded with his feelings. He played the role he expected as the No. 10 striker, and was pleased to be outspoken by forward Jermaine, who scored four goals against Hong Kong. In the 11th minute of the first half, he received a sharp vertical pass from midfielder Tanaka just before the penalty arc, and with an exquisite touch he missed the Chinese defender who was on his back. He immediately shot with his right foot with all his might. The ball was thrown with his hips twisted and sucked into the left corner of the goal. “I was telling (Tanaka) Satoshi to always look ahead, and at that moment he looked at me. I was able to shoot from a good trap.” His focus on ground matches was successful, and this was his third goal in the national team, following the final World Cup qualifying match against Indonesia in June. “I'm really happy and I want to connect with them, but there were times when I could help, so I hope I can increase the number next time.” With joy, he turned his attention to the final match of Korea. In this tournament in 2022, when he was his first call-up for the A national team, he scored no goals after only one game playing. He was left with regrets, saying, “I couldn't leave anything behind,” and was unable to join the team as part of the World Cup Qatar tournament at the end of the year. In this tournament, where he was the first No. 10, he entered Korea with a strong sense of how forward Machino had won a World Cup ticket from the last E-1. “This tournament is very important in order to compete in the World Cup. Just like Machino-san did in the last tournament, even forwards (in a fierce battlefield) have a chance.” In order to survive in the North and Central America tournament a year later, we believe that easy-to-understand results are needed, like Machino, who scored three goals in this tournament. It was a big first goal in the match, when he said, “We need to leave our mark in order to be selected next.” But it's just the first point. The 23-year-old, who is aiming for the World Cup from the domestic group, is greedy, saying, “We've only scored one point, so we're still just about to get it. I want to score another point next time.” On the 15th, they vowed to score consecutive goals with South Korea, who has won two games in the same two games, in an effort to win the tournament for the second consecutive year.
