AFC U23 Asian Cup
The Japanese eventually prevailed with a 4-2 win over the tournament hosts and Fujita, who played every minute of the quarter-final, stressed he has fully recovered ahead of what he expects will be a demanding semi-final clash.
#AFCU23 | Semi Finals Preview
“Let’s be honest, I was tired until yesterday but we have three days to prepare for the next game so now I’m not tired and I can play 120 minutes again,” said the midfielder. “I’m not tired now.
“Iraq have good physicality so it’s going to be a tough game. We will try to win the game.”
Fujita admitted to being wary of Iraq’s robust approach and stressed he and his teammates need to avoid giving away unnecessary free-kicks and corners against a side capable of taking full advantage.
“I think nowadays we concede goals from set-pieces because of the opponent’s physicality and I think we have to improve that,” he said. ”We must not concede easy goals because that’s going to make it a tough game.
“I think the game is not only about set-pieces. If we can keep the ball then we have the chance to get a goal more than our opponent. It’s difficult but we just try to keep the ball and try to get a goal.”
The winners of Monday’s meeting will secure one of Asia’s three guaranteed berths at the Olympic Games in Paris in July and August, with the Japanese aiming to maintain an unbroken qualifying record that extends back to 1996.
Iraq, meanwhile, are attempting to book their place at the Olympics for the first time since 2016 having secured a third-place finish at the AFC U23 Asian Cup the last time it was played in Qatar.
Defender Zaid Tahseen admitted the Iraqis took confidence from the victory achieved by the country’s senior team over the Japanese in the group phase of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 and that Olympic qualification was uppermost in their minds.
“We are motivated for the game tomorrow due to the win by the senior team over Japan at the Asian Cup,” he said. “We’re looking forward to winning tomorrow and to go to Paris.
“All the players know their responsibility is huge, there’s just one game to go to Paris and their lives will be changed by just one win. We’re under a lot of pressure but we can face this in an organised way. We will face it like a family to be successful in the future.”
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