Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: The AFC U23 Championship 2018 has played a vital role in grooming the young Samurai Blue squad in their preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Yuta Kamiya has set his sights on learning from the experience he has garnered in China.
“I don’t want to lose again, so I will take all this as experience and lessons for my next outing,” Kamiya told the-AFC.com.
Japan enjoyed tremendous success in the group stage, scoring three wins for a perfect record, but were knocked out after a devastating 4-0 defeat to Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals on Friday, and the skipper admitted their performance was not up to par.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Jasurbek Yakhshiboev expressed delight after Uzbekistan beat 2016 champions Japan on Friday to secure a spot in the AFC U23 Championship China 2018 semi-finals.
Uzbekistan enjoyed a three-goal advantage in the first half, and Yakhshiboev secured the win with his second of the match in the 47th minute to knock the young Samurai Blue out of the tournament with a 4-0 win.
Japan and Qatar were the only teams to progress from the group stage with a perfect record, and going into the quarter-final tie, the 20-year-old midfielder was more than aware of the task that lay ahead for Uzbekistan.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: AFC U23 Championship 2016 champions Japan were knocked out of the 2018 tournament after suffering a 4-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals on Friday, but head coach Hajime Moriyasu said the defeat was a monumental experience for his young team.
Japan were forced into a defensive position when Uzbekistan heavily pressured them, and after conceding three goals in the first half, the young Samurai Blue had little hope of making a comeback.
“The result showed our potential against Uzbekistan, and we will take this experience as development for the team,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach.
“We started the game well, and I think our players played with aggressiveness but as time passed, we started to lose possession in one-on-one situations because Uzbekistan were definitely stronger physically.
“When they came at us with pressure, our players needed to make quick judgements and started to lose the ball.
“Uzbekistan didn’t give us time and space on the pitch, and that’s why we need better judgement to predict the situation well.
“Today we lost the match, but the focus is on what we can learn from this match.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Uzbekistan upset defending champions Japan in the AFC U23 Championship China 2018 quarter-finals with a comprehensive 4-0 win at the Jiangyin Sports Center Stadium on Friday.
Uzbekistan showcased a dominant display of football and raced to a comfortable three-goal lead in the first half, before Jasurbek Yakhshiboev sealed the win with his second goal of the game after the break.
Before the match began, both teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of the Uzbekistan citizens who perished in the recent bus fire in Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan, well aware of Japan’s quality, applied pressure from the start and didn’t give the young Samurai Blue any space to move freely.
The early aggression gave Uzbekistan the lion’s share of possession, forcing Japan to play on the counter.