Japan is proud but realistic: 'I played very poorly today'
Japan drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opening match of the World Cup, with mixed feelings among the players about the team's performance.
In Japan, satisfaction with the draw with the Netherlands prevailed. Japan earned a point in their opening match of the World Cup thanks to a late equalizer. Scorer Keito Nakamura expressed pride in the result: "The fact that we drew against one of the strongest teams gave us confidence for the next matches, and I personally feel more confident as well."
Player Kaishu Sano from FSV Mainz has different thoughts. "Personally, I played very poorly today. But luckily the team played very well. I wanted to improve my performance and develop further. I was aware not to panic, even if we were equal, and I did that. This was a match that will lead to success in the future."
Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki had a successful World Cup debut, with two impressive saves from Donyell Malen's shots. "I was a bit nervous, but I used my previous experiences to stay calm and make good decisions, so I think I showed a very good spirit. However, the next match will show whether this was a good performance or not."
NEC player Koki Ogawa also spoke to the press. It looked like he had scored at minute 2-2, but teammate Daichi Kamada had touched the ball before. Even so, Ogawa was still the center of joy. He recounted a funny story with Kamada: "He told me: 'It was my goal, so you celebrated too much, which made me feel like the goal wasn't mine.' If Daichi hadn't touched the ball, the goalkeeper might have been able to stop it. So next time I'll actually score the goal myself.'
One unfortunate thing in Japan's match was the appearance of Takefusa Kubo due to injury. Coach Hajime Moriyasu briefly updated: "I haven't received detailed information from the medical team, but at least he can walk on his own, so I hope it's just a minor injury. I'm sorry, I don't know the details yet."
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