Japan’s A national soccer team (ranked 20th in the FIFA rankings) had a big win. They set off goal fireworks against El Salvador (75th) in the North and Central American Caribbean. Japan pummeled the outnumbered El Salvador from the sidelines. El Salvador will play the South Korean national team in a friendly on Sept. 20 in Daejeon.
Japan defeated El Salvador 6-0 in a friendly A match at Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, Japan, on Sept. 15. Kubo had the best performance with a goal and two assists. Doan Furuhashi, Taniguchi Ueda, and Nakamura also found the back of the net.
Japan poured on the goals early in the match. They took the lead (1-0) on a set piece in the first minute. Kubo’s free kick was headed in by Taniguchi, who scored his second goal (2-0) on a PK in the fourth minute of the first half. Ueda, who drew the PK, slotted it in with his right foot to make it 2-0. El Salvador, meanwhile, were outnumbered when defender Rodriguez was shown a red card and sent off for giving away the PK.
Moriyasu’s Japan started in a 4-3-3 formation. Mitoma-Ueda-Kubo up front, Hatate-Morita-Doan at the back, Morishita-Tanaguchi-Itakura-Sugawara in the back, and Osako in goal. El Salvador lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Hill-Perez up front, Enrique-Landaverde-Orellana-Damacas in the middle, Reyes-Rodriguez-Zavaleta-Roldan in the back, and Gonzalez in goal.
After making it 2-0 in the early hours, Japan brought up the entire lineup and attacked aggressively. They pressed hard forward and harassed El Salvador’s buildup in the back. Outnumbered, El Salvador didn’t just defend. They tried to keep the entire line spaced evenly and keep the offense balanced.
Japan had the first chance in the 17th minute when Kubo’s decisive left-footed shot went just wide of the post. She missed a great chance for a second goal. Kubo also missed the target with a shot in the 22nd minute.
Caption=Japan Football Association social media
Japan scored their third goal (3-0) in the 25th minute when Kubo found the back of the net. Assisted by Mitoma, Kubo rattled the opposition net with a left-footed shot. Down 0-3, El Salvador took Reyes off and put Dominguez on as a joker.
Japan had a threatening shot from Hatate in the 33rd minute that was saved by the opposing goalkeeper. Sugawara’s shot in the 38th minute was also blocked by El Salvador’s physical defense.
Japan took control of the attack and continued to penetrate the opposition left, right, and center. El Salvador was helpless. They gave the ball away too easily under Japanese pressure. Their defensive organization was sloppy. They gave up space easily.
Japan scored their fourth goal (4-0) in the 44th minute through Doan. Mitoa’s shot was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, and Doan ran onto it and finished it off with ease.
Japan went into halftime with a huge 4-0 lead. The game got off to a flying start for Japan, with a flurry of goals. El Salvador, on the other hand, conceded four goals in the closing stages of the game due to their “grain of sand” defense.
Japan took off Mitoma and Sugawara at the start of the second half and introduced Nakamura and Soma as jokers. El Salvador also brought on Cartagena.
Japan continued to press hard at the start of the second half. Japan scored a goal five minutes into the second half through Ueda, but it was ruled offside after VAR (video assistant referee).
Japan attacked relentlessly. After intercepting their opponents’ passes, they quickly attacked to penetrate their space. In the 15th minute of the second half, Nakamura scored the fifth goal (5-0) with an assist from Kubo. Japan took off Doan Kubo Ueda in the 19th minute of the second half and brought on Kawabe Asano Furuhashi as a joker to even out the playing time with the game already in hand.
Furuhashi scored Japan’s sixth goal (6-0) in the 28th minute of the second half. Soma’s cross was headed in by Furuhashi. Japan removed Morishita for Atsuki Ito three minutes into the second half.
Japan scored in the 44th minute when Soma’s deflected shot hit the post. Japan kept a clean sheet to complete the 6-0 victory. Japan will play Peru in a friendly on Sept. 20.먹튀검증
In a post-match interview, Japan head coach Moriyasu said, “We were able to win because we prepared well and we have a good squad. Our aggressive attitude created a good flow, and we tried to give opportunities to players who hadn’t played before today. As a team, we are trying to play in different combinations. Only then can we look forward to the future. The next match against Peru will be a completely different game. They have a different focus and speed. We need to be well prepared.”