FIFA FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - NEWS BLOG - UPDATE 33

 JAPAN DEFEATED  BY CROATIA

"He kept such an uncle alive" Yuto Nagatomo thanks World Cup Japan National Team

At the World Cup Qatar, Japan faced Croatia in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December, losing on penalties and failing to reach the last eight for the first time. Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), who said that this tournament was "the culmination of the tournament" as a representative of the Japan, said after the match, "I can't think about it right now, I want to think about it slowly." The main comments are as follows.

I don't think about the future at all.

――Looking back on the match against Croatia.

◆ I am very frustrated. I would like to praise the wonderful juniors who fought hard and the players who had the courage to kick the penalty.

I am proud of their courage and courage for the sake of Japan, and I can say with confidence that they will use this experience to their future football Japan.

――What is the significance of this tournament for you?

◆The culmination of my work. I thought it was the culmination of my 15-year national team career. I have no regrets about what I have done, and I want to go home with pride and look up.

――Do you have any intention of aiming for another World Cup?

◆I can't think of it right now. I came here thinking only about this World Cup. I haven't thought about the future at all, and I want to think about it a little slowly.

――After the match, what were your thoughts and words to the players around you?

◆I had nothing but gratitude. It was these juniors who really kept such an uncle alive, and the best director, Mr. Moriyasu. I was just grateful to myself.

And the player who missed the penalty was crying, but I praised him for having the courage to kick it. They are strong. He said he would raise his hand and kick it. I was really proud of this courage. I want to thank them.

Hidemasa Morita: "It's over with one word: I'm disappointed" World Cup match against Croatia

At the World Cup Qatar, Japan faced defending champions Croatia in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December (early morning of Japan time), and were eliminated after a penalty shootout. They didn't make it to the top eight for the first time, and Hidemasa Morita (Sporting) said, "It ended with one word: I'm disappointed." Here are his main post-match comments:

Until the next World Cup: "Not a single day can be wasted"

――What kind of tournament was it for you?

◆It was a tournament that ended with one word: "I'm disappointed."

――Did you get a feel that you can still grow?

It has to be. I have to be a player who can help the team win. My personal performance wasn't particularly good in this kind of game, and if I did, I would have won. I think we should improve our performance in the future.

――There are four years until the next World Cup. How do we use it?

Really, you can't waste a single day. It's very difficult to make the switch, but we're going to prepare ourselves well for the next World Cup.

――What do you want to do as a team and as individuals?

◆We were able to break through the death group because of our performance, and I think we were able to break through thanks to the support of the people.

Unfortunately, we didn't reach our goal of reaching the last eight, but I think we showed that if we play well and play good football, we can play well against strong teams and win the match. I hope that we can continue to improve our Japan football and be involved in it in a good way.

'Shoganai' supporters in Shibuya, Tokyo quietly return home for the World Cup

In Shibuya, Tokyo, supporters gathered at restaurants where they could watch the match between Japan and Croatia in the World Cup Qatar from the night of the 5th to the early morning of the 6th, and cheered on the Japan national team aiming to advance to the last eight for the first time. The Metropolitan Police Department deployed riot police around the scramble intersection to guard against crowd accidents, but there was no congestion.

The bar "Good Beer Foussets" in Shoto, Shibuya-ku, extended its business hours and played a live video of the game in the store. When Japan opened the scoring with a goal by MAEDA Daizen in the 43rd minute of the first half, there were loud cheers in the store. Kodai Kobayashi, a 22-year-old fourth-year university student in Setagaya Ward, was delighted, saying, "The first goal was unexpected," but he was reassured, "The opponent is tall, and if you let your guard down, you will be beaten."

The match was tied and went to penalties. Inside the store, supporters crossed their shoulders and stared at the screen. Hayao Hasegawa (22), a fourth-year university student in Itabashi Ward, who is a fan of goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, who made a good save, covered his mouth with both hands and prayed for the victory. "My stomach is tingling, but I think a penalty is like a lottery." When the Japan was eliminated, there were screams in the store and some people wiped their eyes. Mr. Hasegawa muttered, "I can't help it, but I'm frustrated."

At around 3 a.m. after the game, riot police lined up on Center Street and at the scramble intersection. While "DJ Police" called for "sorting out", the supporters quietly went home because it was raining after the defeat. Young people were also not seen gathering in Hachiko-mae Square. According to the Shibuya Station of the Metropolitan Police Department, there were no noticeable troubles or accidents in the area by 4 a.m.

Daichi Kamada, who finished the World Cup without scoring a goal "I wanted to keep standing on the pitch"

At the World Cup in Qatar, Japan lost to Croatia on penalties in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December, failing to reach the last eight for the first time. KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt) revealed his mixed feelings, saying, "It's hard to put into words, I don't know what the right expression is." The main comments are as follows.

Visible results, wanted

――After the game.

◆ It is difficult to express in words. It's very sad, and it's hard to know what the right expression is.

――Looking back on your four World Cup matches.

I think he did the bare minimum, but in terms of my expectations, he definitely wanted to score goals. If I couldn't do it, there was no doubt that I wasn't good enough. The high mileage, the number of times I go to the press, etc., honestly, it is the same as usual. I think it was the bare minimum for me and I need to add to it. I wanted some tangible results.

――What are the emotions that cannot be expressed?

Of course, I am a player, so I wanted to stay on the pitch for 120 minutes, and I also wanted to kick penalties. If you look at the situation from the outside and can't kick (the penalty), you can't take responsibility, and if you look at it from the outside, it's really powerless. I wanted to keep standing on the pitch.

――Your thoughts on playing for the Japan national team.

◆The meaning of fighting with your country on your back was truly something I learned for the first time at this World Cup. In this next tournament, I want to lead the tournament with a greater sense of responsibility. I want to play for a really good club, play well and increase the value of Japan players. So I want to go back to the club and do my best again.

DAICHI KAMADA - JAPANESE FOOTBALLER

TANAKA Aoi: "I want to come back as a bakemon" Japan World Cup top eight

At the World Cup Qatar soccer tournament, Japan faced the defending champions Croatia in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December (early morning of Japan time 6), and lost after a penalty shootout and did not advance to the last eight. TANAKA Ao (Dusseldorf), who came on as a substitute, expressed his frustration, saying, "I want to come back as a bakemon." Here are his main post-match comments:

I think we're getting closer to the world.

――How you felt when the match ended.

◆It's frustrating. There are frustrations as a team and frustrations as individuals. However, for the first time, I was glad that I was born into a Japan person. I definitely want to come back here in four years.

――What do you mean by "I'm glad I was Japan"?

◆We are in a position to defeat strong opponents. I've had a lot of frustrating experiences, and I'm so frustrated that I wonder what I've done so far, but I felt like I was born into a great team and a wonderful country. There is only Bakemon here, but now I want to come back here as Bakemon. And I want to win the championship.

――It's difficult to get past the round of 16. What kind of barrier did you feel?

◆I think the distance between us and the world is shrinking. It's not just Japan, but I think Africa and various Asian countries are shrinking, but in the end, there was still a little distance to reach the final eight or such a stage. I may have been able to close the distance to beat the world, but I don't think I was close enough to go there throughout the tournament, so it's very frustrating.

――Was your frustration and joy different from what you had imagined?

◆It's frustrating, but of course it was fun. I thought I could get this hot. I was surprised myself, maybe the tournament made me do that, maybe my teammates made me do that, maybe the staff made me do that, but I thought, 'Football is good.'

However, as long as we haven't achieved results, we can't affirm everything, and as an individual, I feel that there is a tremendous difference. I experienced everything good and bad in this short period of time. I think it was a great tournament.

――Four years from now, the thought that you will lead the way.

◆ It definitely is. Personally, I was happy to be able to compete at the age of 24. Next is 27 years old. At that time, I have to be the center, and next time I want to come back here as a bakemon.

Eiji Kawashima: "We were the best team I've ever had" Soccer World Cup

At the World Cup Qatar, Japan were eliminated by Croatia on penalties in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December (6 Japan hours). Kawashima Eiji (Strasbourg), who did not have the opportunity to play, recalled, "It was the best team I've ever had." The main comments are as follows.

A great experience for this team

――I could see the best 8 in front of me.

◆I thought I could break this barrier, but I am very disappointed. Considering how much each of us has done, I can't find the words. But we still have a lot of young players and it will be a great experience for this team.

――What kind of team was the Japan National Team this time?

They were the best team. It's the same with each person's ability, and we've all been doing it to win the game after four years of sacrifice. It was truly the best team I've ever had.

――Looking back on your own four years.

After the World Cup in Russia, I never thought about whether I would be here (four years from now), and I came here with the feeling that I wanted to do something that I couldn't achieve before for the players who couldn't be here. By watching the World Cup dream stage for four years, I myself have come this far with a dream. I can only be grateful.