The Japanese army faced the challenge of Mali's strongest team immediately afterward, although there were twists and turns, but by virtue of the tenacity of the will, finally beat the opponent by a narrow margin of 1-0, and successfully continued the momentum of consecutive victories, locking up the top eight seats in the early rounds. In view of the team's early advancement without worry, facing the Israel match, the Japanese team boldly implemented a big rotation strategy, many main players were placed on the bench to recuperate. Even so, the half-strength Japanese team did not fall behind, and their offense repeatedly formed a threat, but always missed the goal at the critical moment.
At the change of ends, Japan sent in their main players one after another, and the pace of their offense was significantly faster and more threatening. In the first minute of injury time, Japan captured a delicate opportunity. After Kei Yoon Sato received a clever pass from a teammate inside the penalty area, he didn't hesitate to distribute the ball directly to the goal. Substitute midfielder Hosoya followed up with an easy shot, breaking the deadlock for Japan, 1-0! As the game entered its final stages, the Israeli team was unable to recover.
In the three matches, Japan was on fire, scoring seven goals, with a rock-solid backline, zero shutouts, and outstanding performances on both offense and defense, making them instant favorites for the gold medal. However, the next challenge they will face is another champion team - Spain. Facing a strong enemy, can Japan get through again? All this will be revealed in the next quarter-final.
