Yesterday, Japan's national football team played a friendly match against Uruguay at Miyagi Stadium.
It was their first game since the last World Cup.
For this match, several new faces were called up, such as Kodai Sano and Kuryu Matsuki.
In particular, Kuryu Matsuki was the player I had the highest expectations for.
And sure enough, he scored the opening goal of the match.
When he cut inside from the right and took a shot, the ball curled beautifully into the back of the net, which really thrilled me.
After that, Uruguay equalized just before half-time. But in the closing minutes, Kento Shiogai and Ayase Ueda each scored, giving Japan the win.
So I was delighted with the result.
By the way, I came across several articles criticizing the substitutions in this match, particularly the decision to bring on established players such as Ueda, Kubo, and Junya Ito in the middle of the second half.
Their point was that everyone already knows what these players can do for the team, so bringing them on went against the purpose of the match, which was to test new talent.
But I don’t think so.
This match was special because it was Japan's first match after the World Cup, marking the start of a new cycle.
If Japan had lost their first game after the World Cup, it would have been a real buzzkill. So I think winning mattered too.
