On the occasion of the 0-3 defeat against Tunisia, regrettably missing out on the Kirin Challenge Cup crown, the Japanese soccer world slammed the Japanese team's match performance. Former Japan star King Tanaka Doukasa was even more outspoken: "Such mistakes are difficult to commit even for elementary school students."
The 41-year-old King Tanaka Dojima, who played for Japan at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Born in Brazil, he became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2003 and has played 43 matches for the Japanese national team, scoring eight goals.
For that disastrous performance by the Japanese backline, King Tanaka Doukasu made a special mention of Tunisia's second goal: a mistake like that would be difficult for even an amateur to make. When the defense presses forward, the goalkeeper is supposed to move forward with the overall formation. However, defender Maya Yoshida failed to do so, and goalkeeper Schmidt made the same mistake. It was like a scene that shouldn't have happened on an elementary school soccer field.
In that match, Japan lost 0-3 to Tunisia at home, and the captain, Maya Yoshida, had a hand in all three goals, and was widely criticized by fans and the media after the match. In response, King Tanaka said: "Yoshida is still a trustworthy player. Personally, I think he still has a chance to find his form." (Edited by Mizutaki)
