Japanese coach admits hiding cards, waiting for decisive battle with Vietnam

Sharing with domestic media, Mr. Moriyasu Hajime said he is very confident that he will defeat Vietnam to take the top spot in Group D at the 2018 Asiad.

Japan brought an U21 team to the 2018 Asian Games but is still considered a strong candidate for the gold medal in men's football. Photo:German Dong.

In the opening match of the 2018 Asian Games against Nepal, Japan only won 1-0. The only goal of the match was scored by Kaoru Mitoma, a student at Tsukuba University, in the 7th minute.

In the post-match press conference, coach Moriyasu Hajime tactfully avoided answering questions about Vietnam. The coach only said: "The opponents in Group D are all strong. We are studying them."

Mr. Moriyasu Hajime later held a separate interview with Japanese media. The 49-year-old coach said: “The first match in any tournament is difficult. The important thing is that we won. The players did their job well, taking all three points in this match. But I want them to score more goals in the next matches, with a safe gap.”

After reaching the round of 16 with the Japanese team at the 2018 World Cup, Mr. Moriyasu Hajime went to lead the U21 team to attend the Asian Games. Photo:German Dong.

After the first round of matches, Vietnam topped Group D. They had the same three points as Japan, but Coach Park Hang-seo and his team were ranked higher due to their 3-0 win over Pakistan. Vietnam and Japan will meet in the final match. Experts believe that this will be the match that will decide the top spot in the group, in order to avoid having to face championship candidate Korea in the next knockout round.

Moriyasu Hajime said Japan does not necessarily have to go all out in the matches against Nepal and Pakistan. “We will calculate to play our best in the last match. We can win all three group stage matches,” the 49-year-old coach shared with domestic media.

Japan participated in the 2018 Asian Games with the U21 team, in preparation for the Olympics two years later on home soil. Leading the team is Mr. Moriyasu, assistant coach to coach Nishino at the 2018 World Cup.

Lam Thoa