Immediately following the match against Mali, the Japanese team encountered some challenges, but eventually won 1-0, successfully winning two consecutive matches and securing their qualification for the last eight in an early round. As the team had already advanced, Japan opted for a big rotation in the match against Israel, with many of the main players sitting on the bench. But even with half the starters, Japan didn't fall behind as their offense often posed a threat but was always a bit short of scoring.
At the change of ends, Japan sent out their starters one after another, and their offense started to become more and more threatening. In the first minute of injury stoppage time, the Japanese team once again made a subtle cooperation. After Kei Yoon Sato received a distribution from a teammate in the box, he didn't stop the ball and passed it directly to the goal. Center forward Hosoya, who appeared as a substitute, followed up and easily pushed the ball into the goal to help Japan break the deadlock first and take a 1-0 lead! With little time left on the game clock, Team Israel was unable to recover from the loss. In the end, Japan defeated Team Israel 1-0 and entered the top 8 with a record of winning all the matches in the group!
In the three matches, Japan's offense was on fire, scoring seven goals, and their backline was solid, conceding zero goals. Both offense and defense performed so well that they quickly became the favorite to win the gold medal. However, in the next quarter-final, Japan will welcome another champion, Spain. I wonder if they will make it through this time?
