Japanese coach: 'We cannot impose on Vietnam as planned'

Qatar coach Hajime Moriyasu was surprised when Japan fell behind and admitted it would be difficult to defeat Vietnam 4-2 on the opening day of the 2023 Asian Cup.

"I know Japanese fans want us to win by a landslide. But the first match in a major tournament is always difficult. In fact, this match against Vietnam taught us a lesson, that there are no easy matches in the Asian Cup. Fortunately, my players were calm, adapted to the situation in time to win and confidently look forward to the next matches," Moriyasu said at a press conference after the match at Al Thumama Stadium.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu directs during Japan's 4-2 win over Vietnam in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar on January 14. Photo: AFC — Coach Hajime Moriyasu directs during Japan's 4-2 win over Vietnam in the opening match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar on January 14. Photo: *AFC*

Japan is the strongest team in Asia, ranked 17th in FIFA - 77 places higher than Vietnam. They have also achieved the best form in the world over the past year with 10 consecutive wins, scoring 45 and conceding only five goals. However, on the evening of January 14, Moriyasu's team did not make an impressive start. After opening the score thanks to Takumi Minamino in the 11th minute, they could not dominate the game, even allowing Vietnam to continuously score goals from Nguyen Dinh Bac and Pham Tuan Hai.

It was not until the end of the first half that Japan proved their position. Minamino and Keito Nakamura scored in turn to help Japan lead 3-2. In the second half, the slow play prevented the defending runner-up from creating many clear-cut opportunities, especially when Vietnam continued to play tenaciously and confidently hold the ball. With about five minutes left, Japan scored the winning goal, 4-2, thanks to substitute Ayase Ueda. Post-match statistics showed that Japan controlled the ball 59% of the time, with 15 shots, compared to Vietnam's six.

"Coach Troussier deployed excellent tactics for Vietnam. They really made it difficult for us in the first half, especially when we were level and then had to chase. We couldn't play as aggressively as we had originally intended," said Moriyasu, adding that he was unhappy that Japan conceded two goals from set pieces.

Main developments of the match Vietnam 2-4 Japan.

The Japanese coach also defended Mao Hosoya - the number 11 striker who started the match, but did not contribute much to the team's play and had to give way to Ueda from the beginning of the second half. According to Moriyasu, because the team had many injuries, while Hosoya had proven his ability in the friendly match against Thailand on January 1, he chose the 22-year-old striker to start today.

According to coach Moriyasu, besides the desire to prove their position, Japan also has another, equally important, motivation to overcome difficulties and defeat Vietnam. He said: "At the end of the first half, we played very focused and united to win the first important match. This may not be related, but on January 1, there was a terrible earthquake in the North of Japan. My players are all very sorry for that. We all sympathize with the victims, many people died. I am very happy that the players played a good match to encourage the victims of that earthquake."

In the next match on January 19, Japan will meet Iraq, while Vietnam will play Indonesia.

Lam Thoa

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