Hajime Moriyasu praised his players’ patience as four-time champions Japan ground out a 4-2 win over Vietnam at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday to make a positive start to their challenge for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.The Japanese were shocked in the 33rd minute when Pham Tuan Hai gave the Philippe Troussier-coached Vietnamese a 2-1 lead after Nguyen Dinh Bac had cancelled out Takumi Minamino’s opener, only for the Samurai Blue to compose themselves to take all three points.Minamino equalised in the 45th minute and Keito Nakamura put Japan ahead just before the interval with substitute Ayase Ueda striking four minutes from time to put the seal on a professional display from Moriyasu’s side."I know people in Japan wanted to see a game where we overcome our opponents with great power, but opening games in tournaments are always difficult and that’s what we saw today," the 2022 AFC Coach of the Year said. "Coach Troussier managed the Vietnam players very well against us tactically and that made it difficult in the first half.""At halftime we had some difficulties in our defensive roles so I had to make a few adjustments with my players."When we lost the lead in the first half the players were very calm, they knew they had the whole 90 minutes to play for the win."They managed to do that in the end of the first half."They were very focused and united as a team in order to get the victory in the first game of this tournament."Lead taken on the stroke of halftimeThe Japanese failed to convince for much of the opening 45 minutes but, having taken the lead on the stroke of halftime, the Samurai Blue controlled the tempo throughout the second half to secure victory.Troussier, meanwhile, had gone into the game against a side that had scored 33 times in their previous nine matches with the Frenchman hoping to minimise any lasting damage to his side’s prospects of advancing to the next round, and the performance left the him placated."I’m satisfied because I want to consider this match against Japan as part of the process to be qualified," he said after the pulsating clash."It’s not a knockout match, if we win or we lose it’s clear the competition is not finished for us, or for Japan.""The fact that we scored two goals could be an important detail because on paper we are supposed to finish in the top three and we are prepared to finish in the top three," Troussier said."If we finish in the top three, qualification must come from the small details. Today we got no yellow cards, no red cards and we scored two goals. I prefer to lose 4-2 than 2-0. This is what we needed."Vietnam meet Indonesia next on Friday while Japan play Iraq.
January 16, 2024 | 12:16 AM