Uruguayan Diego Forlan faced a painful start to his career as coach of his country's national team, as he suffered a harsh loss to his host, Japan, with a score of 1-3, in the friendly match that was held between them on Thursday.
In the Japanese city of Miyagi, the Uruguay national team conceded two goals from the hosts during stoppage time of the second half, and the former striker, who was appointed to succeed Argentine Marcelo Bielsa, watched his team succeed in returning to the match and achieving a draw, before defensive lapses in the last moments led to the victory being given to the Asian team.
Koryo Matsuki scored early for Japan, but Maximiliano Araujo equalized shortly before the end of the first half, crowning a strong and desperate response from the Uruguay national team.
However, a complete defensive collapse in stoppage time allowed Kento Shiugai and Ayase Ueda to score past goalkeeper Santiago Meli and snatch the win.
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, Forlan admitted that he was expecting a very difficult confrontation against a coach he had previously met during his career as a player in the Japanese League.
The new coach of the Uruguay national team praised the highly organized team of Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu, saying: “We played against a team whose coach I know well, as I faced them during my time with the Sanfrecce Hiroshima team.”
He added: “He relies a lot on team play and exchanging balls, and he improves the preparation of his teams in an excellent way, and his imprint is completely clear after the period he spent leading the Japanese national team.”
In his analysis of the match, which was characterized by equality before it was decided by a loss of concentration in a fleeting moment, Forlan added: “It was a very equal match, and it is truly unfortunate that they took advantage of those opportunities in stoppage time to emerge victorious in the match.”
Despite the bitterness of losing in his first match with Uruguay, the former Manchester United striker stressed that the final result was not fair to his players and did not reflect the true level they performed in the match.
Forlan defended his team, whose players traveled on an arduous flight across the Pacific Ocean, as he told reporters: “The difference in the score is very large, given the course of the match. We had several opportunities to score in both the first and second half.”
He continued: “I am very grateful to the players, as they made a tremendous effort after the exhausting travel journey to get here. “It was clear on the field and they performed very well, but unfortunately, this is the nature of football.”
Forlan concluded his statements by saying that the result does not reflect the reality of what happened in the match. However, these are the rules of the game and we must accept them.”
Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes, a Manchester United player, made a positive start this season despite his club's modest performance.
Despite United being in twelfth place in the English Premier League standings, in addition to their early exit from the third round of the League Cup this season, Fernandes has scored 4 goals in various competitions so far, including a hat-trick against Ipswich Town.
Fernandes also participated as a starter with his country's national team during its valuable 1-0 victory over its guest, Wales, on Thursday evening, in the opening round of Group Four in the first level of the European Nations League.
Fernandez played in an unusual position for him, which is the left side of midfield, under the leadership of new coach Jorge Jesus, and the United captain made five (key) passes during the match, achieving a passing accuracy of 86 percent.
In the press conference that followed the match, Jesus stated that Fernandez “can perform better” in the future in this position compared to what he performed against Wales.
In statements to the “Sport TV” television channel, reported by the Portuguese newspaper “Record”, Fernandez defended his coach’s choice, saying: “If you notice, I rarely played on the wing. I played defensive roles, yes. “I was monitoring the full-back and putting pressure on him in advanced areas of the field.”
Fernandez explained: “Other than that, it is about the coach’s vision: relying on a midfielder who is able to connect the lines, drop back to help build the game, support both the direct striker and the second striker, create playing triangles in depth and on the sides, and help on both sides of the field. "And that's exactly what I did."
Fernandez (32 years old) also stressed that Jesus is expected to play in different positions and roles throughout his tenure as coach of the Portuguese national team, as he said: “The coach asked me to play this role in this match. He already told me that I might play in different positions under him.”
He explained: “Therefore, what is most important to me is that everything I do is in the interest of the team, and I will always do my best in whatever position the coach puts me in.”
Fernandez is scheduled to play his next match with the Portugal national team, on Sunday, against its host, the Norway national team, before facing Patrick Dorgo, his teammate in Manchester United, when his country goes out to meet its host, the Danish national team, next Thursday evening, in the third round of the group.
The Portugal national team occupies second place in the group standings with three points, on goal difference behind the Norway national team (leader), which is equal with them on the same score, and which achieved an exciting victory over its guest, the Danish national team, with a score of 3/2 in the first round of the group.
