Japan beat China for first time in Asian Zone 12 tournament
Asian Zone Round of 12 Highlights: Japan beat China 1-0, Mori Baoichi breaks down winning strategy
Japan won their first group stage match in the Asian Round of 12 of the World Qualifying Tournament with a narrow 1-0 victory over China. After two rounds, Japan debuted in fourth place in Group B. After the match, Japan's manager Mori Baoichi shared his pre-match preparations and match strategy in a press conference.
Although the Japanese team unexpectedly lost to Oman in the first round of the tournament, the whole team was under great pressure. Facing the challenge of China, Mori Baoichi revealed, "We focused on motivating the players on a mental level. We went all out against China and managed to ignite the players' fighting spirit."
Speaking about the match, Mori said: "Before the match, we had anticipated that the Chinese team might attack at some point. Therefore, we first made sure that our defense was solid and then took control of the game after we scored a goal. In the second half, we anticipated that China would intensify their attack and prepared for it in advance."
