Despite struggling with solid defense, they defeated Ecuador in a penalty shootout, and the Japanese national team's achievements and challenges

How can we break down our strong defense? This was a theme given to us in front of Ecuador in South America. "He is extremely strong while fighting a battle that he will not lose." As coach Moriyasu expected, they were unable to break down the thick wall and defeated their formidable opponent in the penalty shootout.

Their opponent only managed to pass the South American World Cup qualifying round in second place with a total of five goals conceded. He was very strong on the ball, and if he attacked all the way to the front of the goal, he was immediately surrounded by multiple players. Once you lose the ball, you can't get it back easily. His sharp quick attacks were also scary.

Japan had a good combination of Kubo and Doan, and they made a variety of attempts, such as approaching from the sides, Yui Suzuki hitting the middle from the center from Tanimura's post play, and from goalkeeper Aya Suzuki's feed.

In the second half, ace Ueda was brought in. In an attempt to capture the game, he switched to four at the back in the middle and two at the top towards the end. Both Yui Suzuki and Ito's shots broke from the sides but did not cross the goal. “Right now, no matter what we do, we can do well on offense to some extent.” The response Kamata was feeling didn't work.

In the penalty shootout, their first since the match against Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar, all five players succeeded, making use of their learning. "We practice regularly. All the players were confident," said Doan. Although there are still issues to be solved in terms of defense and strategy, it is a good thing that they were able to prepare for the Asia Cup.