Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Shoya Nakajima believes Japan’s 3-0 extra-time win over Iran in the quarter-finals of the AFC U23 Championship will give them the belief that they can go all the way.
After neither side could find the breakthrough in the 90 minutes at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Friday, it was Yuta Toyokawa who finally opened the scoring with a clinical header in the 95th minute.
But from there, it was Nakajima who took over as he stole the show with two sensational strikes to seal Japan’s place in the semi-finals, and move them one step closer to qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Having showed plenty of determination to see of a resilient Iran outfit, Nakajima believes there are plenty of positives for his side to focus on as they look to lift the AFC U23 Championship crown.
“This win will definitely give us confidence for our coming matches,” said the 21-year-old.
“I couldn’t do anything for my team in the 90 minutes, so I was determined to contribute when it came to extra-time.
“My two goals were exactly what I had dreamt about.”
Japan harbour Olympic hopes after win over Iran
The FC Tokyo midfielder also believes their fitness levels could be the one thing that gives them the edge in the tournament, given the way they ran the visibly exhausted Iranians ragged in the 30 minutes of extra-time.
“We can work tirelessly throughout the match and that’s one of our strong points,” he added.
Nakajima has certainly gained plenty of attention following his two goals on Friday, the first a sublime curling effort into the top corner in the 108th minute, before he doubled his tally two minutes later with a ferocious piledriver that had opposition goalkeeper Mohammad Reza Akhbari beaten all ends up.
Nonetheless, it was Toyokawa who had provided the Samurai Blue with the crucial opener as, seven minutes after coming on as an 88th-minute substitute, he did well to find space in the box before converting Sei Muroya’s excellent right-wing cross with a fine header.
When asked about the impact he made coming off the bench, the nippy striker explained: “I was watching the match from the bench and I was thinking ‘I can do something here… Please use me!’
“In the end, I came on and, just like I had believed, I got the goal.
“It was a fine cross and thankfully I was able to meet it well.
“I’m very happy about the match, but I now have to forget it as the next game is much more important and we should be ready for that.”
Photo: AFC