[Oakland (California) on the 6th (7th in Japan time) = Sato Naruhito]The Japanese national team (17th in the FIFA rankings) drew 0-0 with the Mexico national team (13th in the same year) in an international friendly match. Midfielder Kubo Takefusa (24, R. Sociedad) came in the early stages, and midfielder Minamino Takumi (30, Monaco) also got a chance to score in the second half, but they were unable to score from a difficult opponent. In the midst of a opposing offensive and defense, the guardian god Suzuki Ayato (23, Parma), also shined strong.
With an eye on the realm of the FIFA World Cup (World Cup) North and Central America tournament, they faced a strong opponent who has played 17 times in the past World Cup, led by manager Javier Aguirre, who once took over Japan. Mexico beat the US in the Gold Cup, which will determine the North and Central America and Caribbean Champion in July, and Japan has lost four consecutive losses in the International A-match in 1996 (1 win and 4 losses in total). He also lost in the third place match at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where he was under 23 and was an overage (OA) spot, and was also a fateful opponent for Kubo, who burst into tears after the match.
Manager Moriyasu Kazuma solidified the starting lineup with the European team, and took the match in the same 3-4-2-1 as in the Asian final qualifying round. Goalkeeper Suzuki Ayako, with three backs from the right, Itakura Ko, Watanabe Tsuyoshi, and Seko Ayumu. While Morita Hidemasa and Tanaka Aoi were not involved due to injuries, Endo Kou and Kamata Daichi teamed up as double midfielders. The wingbacks are Doan Ritsu on the right, Mito Kaoru on the left, Kubo Takefusa and Minamino Takumi on the right, and Ueda Kyosei on the first batter.
Japan pushed it from the beginning. In the 4th minute of the first half, Kubo hit his first shot. He swung his left foot from the right in the area, but then he got off to the left of the goal. In the 11th minute, Kubo dribbled and shot with his right foot. The low-trajectory ball to the right of the goal was saved by goalkeeper Maragon.
In the 15th minute of the first half, midfielder Doan responded to a vertical pass from his own territory and ran to the back of the opponent, aiming for a loop shot, but was blocked by a small distance from the goal. In the 28th minute, he received a pass in front of Minaminoga's goal, but the opponent was forced to snatch the ball with no mark. Despite taking the lead, they were unable to score, and after 30 minutes they were forced into Mexico more.
In the 34th minute of the first half, Itakura's interception was taken to the enemy's territory, but the ball that Ueda dropped to Itakura shifted, and on the other hand he was hit by the counter. However, Doyasu quickly returned and entered the defensive line, and Mitomo cleared the cross ball with a header to escape the difficulties. The dedicated play of both ingbacks was highlighted.
In the 37th minute, forward Raul Jimenez swung his right foot through, but the defenders put their bodies on the line to block. The match was a special environment in which a soccer court was built inside a baseball field, but the match was met with a close match, and about 40,000 fans were excited.
The second half began without substitutions. A chance was reached in the 8th minute. Starting from Ueda, he moved to Doan on the right, then led to Kubo running to the right pocket, and then crossed the ball in front of the goal. Minamino entered the center of the goal and volleyed with a right foot, but he couldn't hit a shot and missed the goal.
In the 12th minute of the second half, Itakura hurt his right ankle and sat on the pitch. In the 15th minute, he gave up on Itakura and brought in Sekine Daiki. In the 20th minute, Minamino's pass was hit by Mitomo from the left of the box, but he was blocked.
In the 23rd minute of the second half, he was hit with a decisive header from a free kick from Mexico, but goalkeeper Suzuki made a fine save. It was balanced. Immediately after that, in the 24th minute, Minamino, Kubo and Kamata were dropped off, and Maeda Daizen, Ito Junya and Sano Kaishu were sent on the pitch. The equilibrium was not broken, and a back-and-forth battle unfolded.
In the 36th minute of the second half, Mito and Doan were lowered, and Suzuki Yuito and Machino Shooto were introduced. This tested his skills in trying out a variety of players against opponents four years above Japan's world rankings.
There were times when I was pushed in at the end, but I didn't lose concentration and tried my best to protect myself. In the 45th minute of the second half, Ueda began to get out of Endo's pass, but was defeated by a foul from behind. Opponent defender Montes was sent off with a red card to prevent a scoring opportunity. We were unable to use free kicks from outside the penalty area. In the end, they were unable to break down the opponent, which had lost 10, and finished with a 0-0 draw.
Coach Moriyasu said, “We got an edge in duels in the situation and created a chance, but we were unable to make a final decision.”
The next match will be played against the US national team (15th in FIFA rankings) in Columbus on the 3rd, the 9th (starting at 8:37am on the 10th Japan time).
