Japan national soccer team defeats New Zealand 2-1 in Kirin Cup final, marking Moriyasu's last domestic match with a victory

The Japanese national soccer team (ranked 17th in the world) played against New Zealand (ranked 86th) in the Kirin Cup final held at Tokyo's MUFG Stadium (National Stadium) on the night of the 5th, winning 2-1 and winning the championship. They finished with four consecutive wins in four international friendlies in September and October, including a penalty shootout victory.

It's been 3 days since the match against Ecuador on the 1st. Japan made five changes to their starting lineup, with FW Kiyo Ueda (Lille) starting for the first time in these four consecutive games.

In the 28th minute of the first half, Ueda intercepted a loose ball from a right cross and took Japan's first point. However, four minutes later, a back pass was cut off and they were countered, allowing them to tie the game.

In the second half, midfielder Junya Ito (Genk) and midfielder Keito Nakamura (Lyon) were introduced as substitutes to keep things going, and in the 26th minute, midfielder Ritsu Doan (E-Frankfurt) scored on Nakamura's cross that broke through the left side to take the lead.

The victory ended the last domestic match for coach Hajime Moriyasu, who is scheduled to retire after the Asia Cup starts next January.

Japan's starting lineup is as follows.

GK Ayane Suzuki (Aston Villa)

DF Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen), Shuto Nakano (Hiroshima)