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National Team Match: |
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Zico Japan seems to be evolving in a positive direction, but as the result of their match against Senegal on Wednesday night show, there is still a ways to go before the team can be considered complete. Not that Japan's performance was particularly discouraging. The team played exciting ball all evening long, and certainly had their share of chances. Senegal, meanwhile, had only two or three real scoring opportunities and were fortunate to get a goal before Japan's defence had truly settled down to business. A loss is a loss, and in that sense the performance was discouraging. Nevertheless, several important players showed signs that they can make a contribution at this level. Indeed, the most discouraging performances came from people like Nakata and Inamoto, who looked a bit lazy and lacked the enthusiasm of their teammates. One would hope that players like these can raise their game a notch, when the result is a bit more crucial.
Japan were quite unfortunate to concede two quick corner kicks in the first five minutes. Before the defence had a chance to get settled, they were pushed into a crucial situation, and the height and athletic ability of Senegal's 194-cm Pape Bouba Diouf made them pay. On the second of the two corners, Diouf soared over the defence to head home from fairly close range. Both Atsushi Yanagisawa and Shunsuke Nakamura came close to equalising just a few minutes later, but after a surge of offence from Japan right after the first goal, Senegal settled down into a defensive posture and the match lost some of its momentum. The Japanese attack tried to put quick through balls past the Senegal defence to create a quick scoring opportunity, and indeed, they did get a handful of chances including one in which Yanagisawa seemed to be pulled down inside the penalty area. However, Senegal did a good job of stalling the tempo of the match, held their lead trough the break
The second half was much like the first, and though Japan had an edge in play, Senegal was able to dictate the pace and prevent any scores. By about ten minutes in, the tempo had slowed so much that the Niigata crowd was nearly silent. At this point, Zico made a few moves that added a bit of spark, bringing in first Masashi Motoyama at striker, then Teruaki Kurobe, and finally Shinji Ono at midfield, shifting to a single-volante set. Each move produced a slight burst of momentum, but the Senegal defence held firm. Both Yanagisawa and Nakata hand excellent chances to equalise in the final 15 minutes or so, but flubbed their shots. It was interesting to note that the insertion of Ono was the most serious concern for Senegal. Though still only 80%, by his own admission, Ono's pinpoint through passes created some danger in the final few minutes, forcing Senegal into a desperate defensive stand. But in the end, the lone goal held up and Senegal took the victory.
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Japan 0 - 1 Senegal 