Olympic Games
It was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for head coach Go Oiwa, having seen his side come through the group stage with three wins and no goals conceded.
"The players worked very hard, so it was a frustrating result, but I hope the players will be able to take this experience and build for their future," said Oiwa.
“Despite losing by three goals, we fought hard and had long periods of control in the game, so that makes it a difficult outcome to accept.”
Spain started the better of the two sides and led after just 11 minutes through Fermin Lopez and it was an uphill struggle for Japan from then on.
Mao Hosoya looked to have drawn Japan level minutes before half-time but his goal was ruled out for offside before Spain struck again in the second half through Lopez and Abel Ruiz.
Putting the exit aside, Oiwa remained hopeful that the players could take plenty of encouragement from their display in France and use that to propel their careers to the next level.
“We have a squad of fully Under-23 players, which is something we wanted because we believe in them and had great expectations of them.
“It is my hope that these players are able to grow together and be able to progress to the senior team,” he said.
Photos: FIFA via Getty Images
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