Subject:  知其不可為而為之, 香港隊打得好! |
Author:
Nuno
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Date Posted: 05:25:55 12/10/03 Wed
Author Host/IP: 82-39-98-160.cable.ubr01.newy.blueyonder.co.uk/82.39.98.160
In reply to:
Son
's message, "FW : 笢齆俇÷れ眅誠倯陑 侐郔摽珨齥" on 18:01:58 12/09/03 Tue
或許你們的技術還比不上 上一輩的球員, 但你們所表現出的頑強鬥志, 已贏得了對手的讚賞, 也證明了香港足球還是有希望的. 請繼續努力!
Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Japan won, but it was hardly pretty.
Zico's Japan beat Hong Kong 1-0 in the inaugural East Asian Football
Championship on Sunday night, but only through a first-half penalty by
Alessandro Santos, failing to score in open play against the underdogs.
The Japanese, without their European-based players including captain
Hidetoshi Nakata, collected three points for a two-game total of six thanks
to Santos' penalty to set up a title showdown against archrival South Korea
on Wednesday evening at International Stadium Yokohama. The Koreans edged
out China also 1-0 earlier in the day.
"First half, we produced a number of chances because we ran well," Zico
said. "If we could have capitalized more, if we could have made it 2-0 by
halftime, it would have been a different story. But the bottom-line is we
won. And we will do whatever we can to win East Asia's first title come
Wednesday."
Japan has 17 goals from 17 games. Zico's solution to his team's scoring
woes: practice, practice and more practice.
"It's not mental, it's technical," Zico said. "The only solution to this is
training, keep believing in what we have been doing. I would be concerned if
we had trouble creating chances, but that we had many chances gives us
hope."
Japan outshot Hong Kong 21 to four.
"We needed one more goal," said Santos. "That's something we need work on."
Zico made one change to his lineup from the 2-0 victory over China on
Thursday, swapping defender Yuji Nakazawa for FC Tokyo's under-22
international, Teruyuki Moniwa. Nakazawa picked up a yellow card against
China.
The second match on a chilly day at Saitama Stadium was hardly the walkover
many expected, with Hong Kong giving the hosts a modest game. Coach Lai Sun
Cheung, who beat Japan as a player years ago, kept the back tight with five
men and even gave the Asian champions an occasional scare.
Zico's men dominated possession and needed only three minutes to take their
first stab through Yoshito Okubo, who fudged Santos' left-wing cross off
goalkeeper Fan Chun Yip.
It was another frustrating night for the 21-year-old Okubo, who, in his 13th
match for his country, could only flirt with scoring. The Cerezo Osaka
marksman has yet to find the net for the national side.
Santos was involved in the bulk of Japan's chances, terrorizing the Hong
Kong defense with his shooting, crossing and dribbling.
One of the chances, in the 27th minute, was a hard-struck drive from 30
meters barely slapped over the crossbar by the Hong Kong custodian.
Santos got the benefit of a generous decision by referee Chalach Piromya,
who awarded the Brazilian-Japanese a penalty eight minutes from the break.
Fan was booked for swiping Santos off his feet, although it appeared the
Shimizu S-Pulse winger went down before he was touched by the keeper.
Santos converted the spot kick, hitting the back of the net for his second
goal in 23 national-team appearances.
Tatsuhiko Kubo, who opened his international account after 15 games
Thursday, failed to give Japan the lead at the 18-minute mark, when the
unmarked Yokohama F Marinos striker hit the underside of bar from the heart
of the penalty area.
Mitsuo Ogasawara, who has been nursing a hip injury, was pulled from the
match nine minutes to the hour.
Following a scuffle between Kubo and midfielder Man Pei Tak in the 58th
minute, the visitors had their best opportunity of the match as forward
Lawrence Akandu squandered a free header.
"I thought it was a good game," Lai said. "We stuck to our game plan and
could not shock them, but we did enough to scare them. The Japanese
obviously played well, but we fought to the final whistle."
Japan substitutes Takuya Yamada and Naohiro Ishikawa won their first caps.
The Tokyo-based midfielders both took to the pitch in the second half.
Zico's three substitutions were the most he has made since succeeding
ex-manager Philippe Troussier after the 2002 World Cup.
East Asian Football Championship
Japan 1 Hong Kong 0
(At Saitama Stadium)
Scorer: Japan--Santos (37 min.--penalty)
Japan (3-5-2): Narazaki; Tsuboi, Miyamoto, Moniwa; N. Yamada (Ishikawa 78),
Fukunishi, Endo (T. Yamada 66), Ogasawara (Oku 69), Santos; Kubo, Okubo
Hong Kong (5-4-1): Fan Chun Yip; Lai Kai Cheuk, Lee Wai Man, Szeto Man Chun,
Poon Yiu Cheuk (Leung Chi Wing 90), Luk Koon Pong; Lau Chi Keung, Wong Chun
Yue, Law Chun Bong (Chan Ho Man 87), Man Pei Tak; Lawrence Akandu
Referee: Chalach Piromya (Thailand)
Attendance: 45,145
Half time: 1-0
Hong Kong offers different type of test for Japan
Shintaro Kano / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Japan's game against Hong Kong tonight will serve as an excellent test for
the upcoming preliminary round of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, national
coach Zico said Saturday.
Following Friday's draw, which pooled Japan with Oman, Singapore and India
in the Asian qualifiers that kick off Feb. 18, Zico said there is a lesson
to be learned in playing Hong Kong--a minnow like Japan's Group 3
opponents--in the second game of the East Asian Football Championship.
The defending Asian champions must get used to beating teams that sit back
and play them on the counter, as all three of Japan's first-round opponents
will be expected to do.
Hong Kong, which lost 3-1 to South Korea in its opener on Thursday, will
provide good practice for that type of match-up.
"I think the first round is the most difficult because only one can go
through," Zico said at Saitama Stadium 2002, site of this evening's game.
"Some teams will come at us thinking, 'If we can't go, we don't want Japan
to go either.'
"With our goal being to reach the finals, we must learn how to play our game
throughout, regardless of adversity. That is what I'm most worried about."
Zico will take extra precaution against Oman, which beat South Korea 3-1 in
the second round of Asian Cup qualifying in October.
"Oman is probably the strongest out of the pack. They defeated a tough team
like Korea," said the Brazilian trainer, a star at three World Cups. "But
India, Singapore are not to be underestimated, either."
On the current national team, only captain Hidetoshi Nakata has experience
playing in World Cup qualifiers, for France '98. The Japanese automatically
qualified for the 2002 World Cup which they cohosted with the Koreans.
Central defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, the replacement skipper with Nakata
unavailable for the East Asian championship, could only guess as to how the
qualifiers will be.
"I don't really have an impression of Oman," the Gamba Osaka libero said. "I
expect there to be tremendous pressure and it will be unlike anything we've
experienced before."
Zico said that Hong Kong managed to score against Korea on Thursday goes to
show anything can happen.
"Hong Kong's goal against South Korea is an example of what can occur," he
said. "When you step on to the pitch, the FIFA rankings do not matter. The
gap between the top teams and the worst teams is getting closer. Who
dictates the momentum will dictate the game."
Kashima Antlers midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara, who shone for Japan in the 2-0
victory over China on Thursday despite playing with a sore hip, did not
train with the team Saturday, but Zico said the attacking midfielder will
play tonight.
"Ogasawara is sore; he has been playing some hard games in the last few
weeks so I rested him," Zico said. "He will be more than ready tomorrow."
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