Japanese coach: 'Winning Korea thanks to fierce kick'

Japan and South Korea are expected to play as closely as they did in the final of the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Qatar. At that time, South Korea led 2-0 after 47 minutes with Kwon Chang-hoon and Kim Sung-wook. However, the Japanese team created a miraculous comeback, scoring 3 goals in 14 minutes, winning 67-81 and 3-2, and being crowned for the first time.

But on Pakhtakor on June 12, Japan created a one -way match, sublimated and crushed Korea - the team in the match as a champion. Yuito Suzuki opened the score from a free kick in the middle of the first half, before creating conditions for Mao Hosoya to double the score at the beginning of the second half. In the 80th minute, Suzuki himself, with a cut, set a victory 3-0. The difference for Japan may even be bigger, if the chance.

"This result is great. We prepare well before the match, and the players also do well on the pitch. Japan tries to kick fiercely, score three goals and almost do not lose the ball at any time," Coach Oiwa said at the press conference after the match.

In the semi -finals, Japan may not play the audience by the incident in the quarterfinals between host Uzbekistan and Iraq. When the referee disqualified goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov in the 13th minute, the host fans were angry, threw bricks, water bottles and many other hard objects on the field, causing the game to be interrupted for nearly 10 minutes. Coach Oiwa Go did not know the information, so he refused to answer when asked about this incident.

Mr Yamato only cares about the quality of his opponents' games, and he admires the home team very much. "Despite the lack of one person, it continues to show Uzbekistan's strength," the Japanese coach said. "Their players are rich in skill and speed, so we have to concentrate. But in the near future, the team must rest and recover its strength. In the next two days, we will focus on studying and analyzing the game style. The game in Uzbekistan and finding an appropriate response".

Suzuki, meanwhile, was pleased with the brace and assists, but insisted the team's achievements must be prioritized. Suzuki, born in 2001, participated in the Asian U23 Championship for the first time. Asked about the next opponent, Uzbekistan, midfielder Shimizu S-Pulse said: "Before the quarter-finals, I only focused on the game against South Korea, and there was not much information about Uzbekistan. But in the semi-finals, Uzbekistan is a strong opponent."