Captain Fujita was named MVP of this tournament / photograph: Masahiro Ura
The final of the U-23 Asian Cup was played on 3 May, with Japan beating Uzbekistan 1-0 to reach the summit of the Asian game. This is the second time in four tournaments that Japan has won the competition.
This tournament, which also served as the qualifiers for the Summer Olympics, provided the top three teams with places at the Paris Games while the fourth-placed finisher progressed to an intercontinental play-off with Guinea, ranked fourth in Africa. Japan had already punched their ticket to Paris when they reached the final with a win over Iraq in the semi-finals.
If their main goal was to qualify for the Olympics, this final would have been a dead rubber. However, Japan was determined to win. Olympic qualification was the minimum goal, and they were hungry to be crowned as kings of Asia.
Their opponents, Uzbekistan, had shown overwhelming strength at the tournament coming into the final, scoring 14 goals in their five matches. Even though they were missing several key players for this match, Japan saw that strength first hand right from the first whistle.
Japan were unable to penetrate Uzbekistan’s high press and struggled to even pass the ball around effectively. They were also outdone about second ball reactions and duels, and found themselves penned back for long spells.
Japan’s only chance of the first half came in the 28th minute, when Kein Sato had an attempt from close range.
The second half started goalless though, and Japan gradually found their stride and began to spend more time with the ball in the opposition half. However, Uzbekistan’s attacking approach didn’t drop off and they continued to threaten Japan’s goal with sharp crosses and shots from mid-range.
This was another difficult period for Japan, but the fact that they didn’t concede during this time was the catalyst for the late joy that was to come.
Goalkeeper Leo Brian Kokubo was very stable between the posts, while centre-backs Seiji Kimura and Kota Takai used their height to repel the long balls played forward by the opposition. Both full-backs, Ayumu Ohata and Hiroki Sekine, also fought back tenaciously, giving Uzbekistan no freedom.
As time went on and Uzbekistan’s physicality waned slightly, Japan’s attacking options increased. Yu Hirakawa and Fuki Yamada, who came on midway through the half, were bold and took shots, and the scent of a goal was suddenly in the air.
The drama then all came in the closing stages.
In the 91st minute, Joel Chima Fujita received a pass from Takai, who had pushed up from centre back to win the ball, and fed a swift pass to Ryotaro Araki, who in turn flicked on to Yamada. Yamada swung his left foot hard from the edge of the penalty area, and the ball fizzed low and into the bottom corner.
Japan, who had persevered so well, took their best chance of the game. It was a thrilling scenario, but the drama didn’t end there and deep into added time Uzbekistan won a penalty after Sekine’s handball was spotted in the area.
But Kokubo stood tall.
“I wasn’t very confident for the penalty, but I believed everyone’s words, ‘You can stop it’ and I was able to do so,’ the delighted goalkeeper said after the game.
Kokubo’s superb save from Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s kick saved the day for Japan, who held on for a 1-0 win.
“It was a really tough game, but it was important to win so I’m glad we achieved our goal,” a relieved Fujita, who fought bravely throughout and was voted as MVP of the tournament, reflected after the game. The captain then continued.
“We can challenge at the Paris Olympics as Asian champions. I will focus on the result and do my best to win a medal and win the championship, something Japan has not yet achieved.”
As a result of winning the Asian title Japan will now head to Paris as the No.1 team from the continent, and they have been placed in Group D alongside Paraguay, Mali and Israel.
The Olympics, which begin in late July, are already less than three months away. We will now be keeping a close eye on the players’ performances for their clubs to see how much the young national team can develop in the time remaining, as they set their sights on achieving new goals.