Japan national soccer team head coach Hajime Moriyasu was delighted with the win over Vietnam.
The first match of Group D at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2023 Qatar Asian Cup between Japan and Vietnam took place on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET at 현금홀덤사이트 Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. In front of 17,385 fans, the two teams battled tooth and nail.
Takumi Minamino opened the scoring in the 11th minute, followed by goals from Minamino in the 45th minute, Keito Nakamura in the 45+4th minute, and Ayase Ueda in the 40th minute, as Japan defeated Vietnam 4-2 with goals from Nguyen Dinh Bac in the 16th minute and Pham Thuan Hai in the 33rd minute.
Coach Moriyasu commented on the performance of Minamino, who scored twice on the day, saying, “He had an injury and was not at 100%. At the beginning of January, we expected him to play today, and the goals came from him. In the second half, he scored the goal we expected from him. I think he did very well.”
On why he made the tactical changes in the second half, Moriyasu said: “The first game of the competition is always difficult. Coach Trousier came out with a good tactic and ran the game. Our team had a difficult first half, so we made some changes on defense.”
The victory was a small consolation for the people of Japan who are still suffering from the earthquake. “The players were very focused and united to get the first win,” said Moriyasu. On New Year’s Day in Japan, an earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula. I’m sorry for the people who are suffering. I’m glad the players played a good game and I’m happy for them.”
“I admit that we made mistakes,” he said, promising to improve after conceding a series of goals from set pieces.