In the men’s football group stage of the Paris Olympics, Japan’s U23 national team secured three consecutive victories and advanced as the group leader. In the quarterfinals held on August 2nd local time, they will face title favorites Spain.
Prior to this crucial match, Santi Denia, head coach of Spain’s U23 national team, spoke to the media about his views on facing Japan. Relevant content was reported by Spanish media outlet Relevo.
Denia stated, “We know them well. In the semi-finals of the last (Tokyo) Olympics, we faced Japan, and it took until the 115th minute to break the 0-0 deadlock.”
Denia added, “In this Olympic tournament, they have maintained a clean sheet and won all three matches. The Japanese team has an excellent defensive system, is very strong offensively, and has high mobility. To reach the semi-finals, we need to perform almost flawlessly.”
Denia expressed significant caution regarding Japan’s performance and, due to Spain’s 1-2 loss against Egypt in their final group stage match, he reminded the team to remain vigilant.
“All of us need to improve and work hard to correct our mistakes. If we want to reach the semi-finals, everyone must bring their best game.”
Will Japan complete their revenge or will Spain continue to dominate? This match is highly anticipated.
Spanish Coach: Japan Strong in Attack and Defense with High Mobility; Spain Must Be Perfect to Advance. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/23827.html
