FIFA FOOTBALL WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 - NEWS BLOG - UPDATE 34

 JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER PRAISED THE PERFORMANCE OF JAPAN'S NATIONAL TEAM IN FOOTBALL WORLD CUP

TOMIYASU Takehiro: "It's difficult to sort out my emotions" Disappointed to play at the World Cup

The World Cup Qatar was held on 5 December (6 Japan hours), and Japan faced Croatia in the first round of the final tournament, and were eliminated after a penalty shootout from 1-1. Arsenal starter Takehiro Tomiyasu said, "I can only get frustrated with myself." Here are his main post-match comments:

We didn't have a match where we could perform.

――Your honest opinion.

◆I think it's a cruel world, and I think it's a performance that didn't deserve to win.

――Where do you think you didn't deserve to win?

◆I'm losing, and personally, I have a strong feeling that I can't help it, or what I'm doing. You can't see ahead.

――Looking back on the match.

◆My personal performance was not good and caused trouble for the team. I'm frustrated that I can't perform in important matches. It is difficult to organize emotions, including in that sense.

――Looking back on the scene where you conceded a goal.

◆To be honest, I felt a little heavy at the start of the game, but I was gradually getting into a rhythm when I touched the ball. We conceded the same goal as we did against Spain.

――Do you have indigestion in your performance in the matches you have played?

◆I haven't had a match where I was able to put up a performance, including today, and I'm sick because of the injury. I think it's a bad cycle. But I know I have to keep going.

――There was a good flow in Japan, but did you feel that you were not able to follow that trend?

◆In the middle of the first half, I touched the ball a lot, and I think I gradually found a rhythm. But in the second half, we didn't connect when we had to connect.

――Why can't you overcome the barrier to reaching the last eight?

◆ I don't know. The environment in which Japan people grew up may have roots other than football. Even if we subtract those points, we have to change something.

――What did you learn from your seniors?

◆ [Maya Yoshida] is clearly one of the players who has helped me grow. Not only as a player, but off the pitch as well. I'm grateful. That's why it's not enough to say that I couldn't actually express what I was taught.

Shuto Machino: "This experience is not in vain" Not on the pitch at this World Cup

The World Cup Qatar was held on 5 December (6 Japan hours), and the team aiming to reach the last eight for the first time in the first round of the final tournament (1 Japan st place in Group E of the 1st League) lost to Croatia (2nd place in Group F) after a penalty shootout. Shuto Machino (Shonan Bellmare), who did not have the opportunity to play in this tournament, reflected, "This experience was not in vain." The main comments are as follows.

Frustration, not only negative

――From the middle of the second half of the match against Croatia, you were speeding up the pace of your upswing. What instructions were given?

◆When I was going to score a goal, it seemed that my "height" was necessary as one of my plans, so my coach told me to prepare for it. I felt like I had a better chance of coming and I was just focused on the goal.

――You didn't get on the pitch, but what did you learn?

◆Feeling this result firsthand and feeling frustrated is not only a negative thing. In Shonan, I was always allowed to play, but it was the first time in a long time that I didn't have many opportunities to play, so I understood the feelings of those who were not playing. I don't think this experience will be in vain, and I can only say that after I get results in the future. I definitely want to get results.

SAKAI Hiroki: "The challenge is that we couldn't get to 2-1" Missed the last eight of the World Cup

The soccer World Cup Qatar was held on 5 December (6 Japan hours), and Japan lost to Croatia on penalties in the first round of the final tournament, missing out on the last eight for the first time. SAKAI Hiroki (Urawa Red Diamonds) said, "It's frustrating that we didn't get enough results." The main comments are as follows.

The feeling of being, cherished

◆ The result is the result, so we have to accept it. The fact that we lost doesn't change. The result was not enough. I'm frustrated.

――How is it different from four years ago (against Belgium, where you lost in the first round of the last tournament)?

It's not a comeback from 2-0. The game was completely different. That's why I was so frustrated. At that time, I was just watching them come back from behind by a strong team.

――We were able to play against Croatia.

However, we must cherish the feeling that we have been hit. I think it means that there were players over there who could decide the match, and there were players who went back to the drawing board even in the face of inferiority. On the contrary, we couldn't defend 1-0. The challenge was that we couldn't get to 2-1 after the score was 1-1.

――What are your goals from here?

◆Of course, I really like the national team. I shouldn't say I'm retiring, and I think it's natural when I'm no longer called up. It's not something I should say. If you like, you can call me. I want to focus on the performance of the club.

HIROKI SAKAI - JAPANESE FOOTBALL PLAYER

Gaku Shibasaki: "We have to accept the harsh reality" World Cup, no opportunity to play

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). SHIBASAKI Gaku (Leganés), who did not have the opportunity to play in this tournament, said, "We have to accept the harsh reality." The main comments are as follows.

We have to keep moving forward

――How do you feel about this reality?

◆That's a shame. We have been working for four years as Moriyasu Japan to win this match, so we have to accept the harsh reality.

――In 2010, you lost on penalties, and in the previous tournament, you were overturned at the end of the tournament and lost. What is the difference [with the winning team]?

◆ If you know that, you won't have a hard time. Of course, it's frustrating to lose, and it's a little hard to gauge whether it's a small margin or a big difference. Either way, we have to keep moving forward.

――Is the final eight within reach or far away?

◆ I think it is within reach, and I don't feel that there is no possibility at all. I think it's important to keep producing results in front of you in the short term, and to look at things from a long-term perspective.

――What kind of team was this team for you?

◆ It's hard to describe in one word, because it's just finished.

Yuto Nagatomo makes 15 World Cup appearances, breaking the record for the most appearances by a Japan national team

NAGATOMO Yuto (36) =FC Tokyo=, a member of the Japan National Football Team, started the first round match of the World Cup Qatar against Croatia on 5 December (6 Japan hours), extending the record for the most appearances by a Japan national team at the World Cup to 15. Nagatomo, who has been named in the national team for four consecutive tournaments, was named in the starting line-up for all four matches of this tournament.

Defender YOSHIDA Maya (Schalke), goalkeeper KAWASHIMA Eiji (Strasbourg), and midfielder HASEBE Makoto (Eintracht Frankfurt), who announced his retirement from the national team after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, will be in 11 matches.

Ritsu Doan scored 2 goals in the tournament - New record carried over to the next Soccer World Cup

At the World Cup Qatar, Japan lost to defending champions Croatia on penalties in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December (early morning of Japan hours 6 December). Ritsu Doan (24) = Freiburg = who scored two goals in the first round ended up without a goal, and did not score three goals in one tournament for the first time in Japan.

Japan is making his seventh appearance in seven consecutive tournaments. In the past, three players have scored multiple goals in a single tournament: Junichi Inamoto in the 2002 Japan-Korea Games, Keisuke Honda in South Africa in '10, and Takashi Inui in the '18 World Cup in Russia, all of whom have scored twice.

The most goals in total are four by Honda, who scored one goal each in Brazil in '14 and the World Cup in Russia in '18. Inamoto, Inui and Shinji Okazaki, who scored one each in '10 and '14, followed by two goals. Doan is expected to see how many goals he can accumulate in the next tournament and beyond.

Daizen Maeda, who ran more than anyone, scored a goal after dedication Hidden beliefs Soccer World Cup

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 lost 1-1 after extra time, failing to advance to the last eight.

The World Cup goal I dreamed of was not truly happy. Daizen Maeda, who started at the top of the line, gave the team the first goal of the tournament, but the door to reach the last eight was heavy, and "I'm really sorry that we can't advance to the next stage." The person who ran around the front line of the Japan more than anyone else was depressed.

Right CK in the 43rd minute of the first half. Ritsu Doan opted for a short corner, and after a fine exchange of passes, Doan received it again and delivered a sharp cross towards the goal. Maya Yoshida, who was competing on the far flank, turned over with her right foot and the ball rolled towards Maeda.

Four years of struggling for a "new landscape" Maya Yoshida "The battle to think about will start again"

He patted the shoulders of the crying juniors and waved to the supporters to show their gratitude for the cheering. In the first round of the World Cup Qatar on 5 December (6 Japan hours), Japan succumbed to a penalty shoot-out that went 1-1 to defending champions Croatia. In order to write a new history in the Japan football world, the curtain has come down on the four-year challenge of captain YOSHIDA Maya (34) = Schalke =, who has poured everything into reaching the last eight for the first time.

In the penalty shootout Japan, the first player MINAMINO Takumi (27) = Monaco and the second MITOMA Kaoru (25) = Brighton = failed in the penalty shootout. Trailing 2-1, Yoshida's shot was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper. Put your hands on your knees, exhale heavily, and return to your companions. Shortly after, the Croatian player scored and the match was decided, and he looked at the Qatari sky with tears in his eyes.

After the match, Yoshida, whose eyes were red, said, "In order to break this barrier (to the last eight), we have taken on various challenges for four years.

"It gave me courage and inspiration," Prime Minister Kishida posts on Twitter

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrote on his Twitter account on the 6th December that the Japan National Team, who lost to Croatia in the first round of the final tournament of the World Cup Qatar, said, "We were unable to reach the penalty shootout, and the Japan National Football Team failed to reach the last eight of the World Cup, which they had been longing for. However, they gave us courage and excitement by the way they played without giving up on the victory until the end. Thank you to all the coaches, players, and officials who showed us the new era of Japan football. Thank you." I praised.

FUMIO KISHIDA - JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

Croatia coach: 'History repeats itself' Penalty kick win, trust in goalkeeper World Cup

Defending champions Croatia qualified for the quarterfinals on 5 December (6 Japan hours) in the first round of the World Cup Qatar.

Croatia, who finished as runners-up in the previous World Cup, won two penalties and were absolutely confident this time around. Coach Daric boasted that "history repeats itself", while goalkeeper Rybakovic proudly said, "All I had to do was analyze before the game and trust my feelings."

"This is our ability" Rapid progress that stopped just before the top 8 again Soccer World Cup

At the World Cup Qatar, Japan faced defending champions Croatia in the first round of the final tournament on 5 December (Japan hours 6 June), and lost 1-1 after extra time, failing to advance to the last eight.

Takumi Minamino collapsed from his knees and plunged to the ground. Kaoru Mitoma also nuzzles her face in the towel. After 120 minutes of death, the decision was settled on penalties. After defeating Germany and Spain, the Japan of the champions, once again came to a halt in the top eight.

They lost to Belgium in the first round of the final tournament following the previous World Cup in Russia, where they played well. The players who tried to rewrite the history of Japan football fought bravely.

There were times when they were pushed by defending runners-up Croatia who tried to keep the ball in their hands and advance the match, but they came forward boldly. Captain Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Junya Ito quickly moved in to steal the ball the moment it was passed to the opponent. They did not flinch against the powerful European powers. Step forward and seize victory. A strong will was oozing in the way he fought.