NEWSWORTHY
The Japanese men's national team will play an international friendly against El Salvador on June 9, the Japan Football Association announced Wednesday. Japan, ranked No. 26 in the world, will face No. 71 El Salvador for the first time. The match at Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi in ...
Shoya Nakajima breaks deadlock in 76th minute to lead Samurai Blue past Bolivia
Shoya Nakajima netted a late winner as Japan beat Bolivia 1-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday night. Hajime Moriyasu made sweeping changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Colombia last Friday, giving a start to several locally based players at Noevir StadiumKobe. But with ...
Colombia defeats Japan on Radamel Falcao penalty in second half
Radamel Falcao scored a 64th-minute penalty as Colombia got a measure of revenge on World Cup foe Japan in a 1-0 international friendly victory on Friday. In a rematch of their opening World Cup Group H match last year, the Samurai Blue started just two ...
Shinji Kagawa called up for Japan's friendlies against Colombia, Bolivia
Shinji Kagawa is set to make his return for Japan after being named Thursday to the Samurai Blue squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Colombia and Bolivia. Manager Hajime Moriyasu included the veteran midfielder in his 23-man squad for the matches, which will serve ...
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu says building best squad for Copa America won't be easy
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said Wednesday it will be "difficult" to assemble the strongest possible squad for this summer's Copa America in Brazil, with overseas clubs under no obligation to make Japanese players available for the tournament. While the June 14 to July 7 Copa ...
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu confident about future despite loss in Asian Cup final
Despite the disappointment of a surprise 3-1 loss against Qatar in the Asian Cup final on Friday, Japan saw encouraging performances from several of its emerging players in the United Arab Emirates. Manager Hajime Moriyasu, who took the reins following last summer's World Cup, overlooked ...
Qatar foiled Japan’s bid for a record-extending fifth Asian Cup title on Friday, winning the tournament for the first time in a 3-1 upset. Golden Boot winner and tournament MVP Almoez Ali scored an early opener before Abdelaziz Hatim added a second as Felix Sanchez’s ...
Samurai Blue boss Hajime Moriyasu urges team to give best effort in Asian Cup final
Japan must lay everything on the line against Qatar in the Asian Cup final, head coach Hajime Moriyasu said Thursday, on the eve of the tournament decider. The Samurai Blue are aiming to extend their record number of continental titles to five at Zayed Sports ...
Qatar routs rival UAE to set up match against Japan in Asian Cup final
Surprise semifinalist Qatar thrashed the United Arab Emirates 4-0 on Tuesday to set up a meeting against Japan in the Asian Cup final later this week. Japan will be aiming for a record-extending fifth continental title in Friday's final at Zayed Sports City in Abu ...
Japan must step up after shaky group stage
No more friendlies. No more minnows. No more excuses. Warmups are over for the Samurai Blue. The four-time Asian champions will begin the final march toward a fifth continental title on Monday when they face Saudi Arabia in the 2019 Asian Cup's Round of 16. Should ...
Japan booked a ticket to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Group F opponent Oman, but the four-time champion was once again less than convincing. Relying on a first-half penalty from Genki ...
Following a turbulent year that brought joy and heartbreak, the Japan men's national team will head to the Asian Cup full of optimism, with a new core of emerging players. The Samurai Blue will kick off the Jan. 5 to Feb. 1 tournament in the ...
