[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.
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Goalkeeper Hayakawa Tomoki (26, Kashima), who is making his first appearance in the national team, has achieved his first shutout in the tournament. He made a big save in the 17th minute of the first half, winning a one-on-one with the opposing forward, and achieved a no-doll goal with outstanding stability. He successfully made a comeback on the pitch, which he saw as “an important stage in showing how much he could do.” Additional calls for midfielder Tanaka, forward Hara, defender Tsunashima, and midfielder Uno also made their debut in the national team, and each met their expectations with passing scores.
