IPOH – Japan stamped their mark at the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by defeating Paris Olympics-bound New Zealand 4-1 in their second match at the Azlan Shah Stadium today.
It was the Samurai’s first win against New Zealand in the last five years, since defeating them in a test match in 2019.
The match, which attracted approximately 200 fans to the stadium, saw a total of 22 attacks launched by the world number 10 ranked New Zealand against their Asian opponents in the four-quarter match.
Prior to today’s match, New Zealand, known as the Black Sticks by their fans, won their opening game with an emphatic 7-1 victory against Canada yesterday.
Japan’s head coach, Yoshihiro Anai, said that his side was well prepared for the aggressiveness of their opponents.
He also said that his side was well focused on their vertical passes to overcome New Zealand’s attacking prowess.
“We knew what they were capable of after watching their opening match against Canada, and we were well prepared on how to counter their attacking prowess.
“I just told my boys to follow my instructions, and I’m glad that they were very focused on the side and vertical passes, which helped us a lot in winning the game.
“More than that, I’m glad that they remained disciplined and organised, which also helped us defeat a higher-ranked opponent.
“As a coach, I hope that we can keep up this momentum in our next matches in the tournament with the group of young players that we have,” said Anai during a post-match conference.
Japan’s best performance in the history of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was when they finished fourth in the 2022 edition. They lost 5-3 to Pakistan in the playoff for the bronze medal.
At the same time, New Zealand head coach Greg Nicol slammed his team for not testing their opponent’s goalkeeper enough but commended his side’s decent performance.
“It was a good game from the Japanese side, but we had more chances in the game than them. We had more variations in our gameplay and were good at our attacks.
“It’s just that we didn’t do enough when it was needed in the first and second quarters of the match, and we failed to test their goalkeeper on several occasions during the game.
“I’m also disappointed we failed to win many penalty corners in this match, but we have to move on from today’s game and do better in our upcoming matches,” said Nicol.
Japan scored two early goals in the first quarter of the match through Naru Kimura (13th minute) and Raiki Fujishima (23rd minute) via a penalty corner.
Tsubasa Tanaka, who made his second appearance for his country, scored in his second consecutive game in the tournament to give Japan a 3-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
New Zealand, who went into full power play mode in the last six minutes of the game, scored their only goal of the match through Scott Cosslett in the 55th minute.
Ken Nagayoshi sealed the win for the Samurais through a penalty corner in the 60th minute to give his side a solid 4-1 victory.
The world number 16 side will take on Pakistan in their third match on May 7, while New Zealand will face defending champions Malaysia on the same day. – May 5, 2024