The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™ kicked-off on Thursday 19 August, and the Japan Beach Soccer National Team played their first group stage match against Paraguay.
The match started with Japan struggling to find their rhythm in the early minutes, as Paraguay threatened the Japanese goal from set-pieces. In the ninth minute, YAMAUCHI Shusei earned a penalty kick, but his attempt from the spot was denied by the Paraguayan goalkeeper. Soon afterwards, Japan conceded back to back goals from free kicks in the 11th minute, finishing the first period trailing two goals against the South American side.
Despite conceding the third goal at the beginning of the second period, Japan managed to score their first goal in the 22nd minute, as Yamauchi’s shot induced an own goal to get back within two goals. With this goal giving them momentum, the Japanese side gradually picked up their pace to take control over the match.
Two minutes into the third period, OBA Takaaki responded to a feed delivered by goalkeeper KAWAI Yusuke before sending a cross towards the far post, allowing AKAGUMA Takuya to convert the ball with a header. Paraguay responded a minute later, scoring their fourth goal to keep Japan at bay.
Trailing by two goals, Japan started to rally from the 30th minute mark, as Yamauchi redirected the shot taken by Kawai to make it 3-4, followed by the equaliser scored by Akaguma who converted the corner kick delivered by Oba in the 33rd minute. Akaguma went onto score his third goal of the match just second later to give Japan the lead for the first time in this match.
In the 34th minute, Yamauchi earned another penalty kick, in which he successfully converted this time to extend the Japanese lead, before completing his hat-trick in the 37th minute to make it 7-4.
With a three goal lead, Japan took control over the ball possession to finish off the match, successfully completing a come from behind victory after trailing 0-3 at one point.
The 16 competing countries are divided into four groups of four teams, in which they compete in a round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals. Japan will now face USA and Russia on Saturday 21 and Tuesday 24 respectively.
Players’ Comments
FP #9 YAMAUCHI Shusei (Tokyo Verdy BS)
First of all, I’m glad we were able to win the first match. At the last World Cup, I experienced so many things that reminded me about the feelings I have towards beach soccer, how much I love the sport, and my determination towards the competition. I didn’t want to end this way, so I have been preparing myself with a strong sense of commitment. Despite the corona pandemic, we have thoroughly prepared ourselves for this tournament over the past two years, so we are excited to be here, and the team is surrounded by a positive vibe. Everybody is striving for the team’s victory and the atmosphere is tense in a good way. At the individual level, as I get older, I am more aware of my role as the team’s ace, so I want to embody it by scoring goals that can lead the team to victory. We will now face USA, who fought into overtime against Russia. I am sure that we cannot win the match if we play the same way we played in the previous World Cup. Our coaching staffs and I have gained a lot of experience over the years, so we are aware that we need to be even more focused for the upcoming match, and that is something we have been sharing to our teammates. We hope to showcase an exciting performance while delivering another victory to our fans. Our team’s goal is to clinch the knockout stage by winning tomorrow’s match. Personally, I would like to score multiple goals to contribute for the team’s victory.
FP #14 UESATO Takumi (Tokyo Verdy BS)
Despite conceding the lead, we still believed in our ability to score goals, so we were able to maintain a positive vibe against Paraguay. The fact that we were able to overturn a 0-3 deficit gives us great confidence moving forward, and the team is carrying great momentum right now. I wasn’t that nervous, but I felt like I was rushing my plays at first. I focused on making runs for the team and eventually found my rhythm. The entire atmosphere of the World Cup is unique and wonderful, but I feel like I was able to showcase my usual performance even under such circumstance. Playing as a member of the national team is a unique experience. I don’t think I have contributed for the team yet, but I hope to give my best efforts to help the team reach the podium. I will do whatever it takes to help the team win the next match against USA. We will fight as a team and strive to advance through to the knockout stage.
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FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021™
Tournament dates:Thu. 19 – Sun. 29 August 2021
Tournament Information