Match № 16

The match № 16 (first group stage), third tournament day

RUSSIA-2 – JAPAN 1:3 (0:1)

January 5th, 2015, St. Petersburg, 700 spectators

Referees: Pavel Kukuyan, Pavel Novikov, Jan Bobrovskiy

Russia-2: Maximenko, Kalugin (Rasskazov, 69), Galanin (Kotov, 57), Makhatadze (Tsigankov, 58), Galadjan (c) (Denisov, 53), Gogolev (Bugriev, 76), Lomovitskiy, Kirillov (Selukov, 46), Lisov (Terekhov, 46), Pletnev (Sedyh, 57), Kudriavtsev

Head coach: Mikhail Galaktionov

Japan: Abe, Fujitani (Syouji, 84), Nakayama, Urata (Sasaki, 73), Kubota, Ogawa, Kobayashi, Noda, Kishimoto (Sugimori, 60), Morishima, Sakai (c)

Head coach: Atsushi Uchiyama

Goals: Kishimoto (39),Ogawa (55), Makhatadze (57, pen.), Noda (71)

Yellow card: Lomovitskiy (22)

Best players: Alexander Maximenko, Koki Ogawa

After match comments

Head coach of team Russia Mikhail Galaktionov:

– I want to thank a lot team of Japan. It is very good, trained squad with a high percent of ball possession. To play against such an opponent, paying attention that we gatheres only on 2nd of January and yesterday had the match, plus our team is one year younger, is very difficult. We do not have enough time for training between the matches. It is very difficult for us both in physical aspect and in functional. Nevertheless we ask players to show their game, but in the mode of saving energy and power, to play "second number". Unfortunately it turned out not absolutely. Our team doesn't like this style of play, we teach them combination game as Japan team showed today. We want them to think on the pitch and today when we had made big rotation of players before second half, the game became more intelligent and we raise percents of ball possession. But Japanese players are better in individual skills, either in functional and technical.

– Japan team was moving fast, but their actions were a bit programmed. If you could understand their tactics, you would have been able to close free zones and stop their manner of play. How difficult was it for your players to confront Japanese?

– That is the style we want to teach our players. It is not always successful and also depends on the staff of players. When the opponent controls the ball a lot it is psychologically exhausting. But for making pressure and for active fight you need enough power and strength. So I can repeat we were exhausted yesterday. Team of Japan was faster and we had a lack of sharpness. We tried to use positional defense in the first half, stop passes. We saw the manner of Japanese play, we saw their matches. If we start play with high pressing – it will be physically very hard for us.

– At the same time your opponents made fast passes, your players held the ball longer. Is it a child manner to play with the ball instead of the right pass?

– Yes, I agree. We asked them to attack faster, but unfortunately it was mostly failed. The main thing that this component need some time to be trained, so I will repeat that we gathered only on 2nd of January and did not have time to practice it.

Head coach of team Japan Atsushi Uchiyama:

– In the first match on this tournament with Azerbaijan team we failed to score a goal and we use preparation period before the second game to train positional actions in order to create more scoring moments and realize them.

– Football fans and specialists highlighted your team as last year so this tournament, but there is an opinion that the pitch this year spoils your teamplay and fast attacks, doesn't it?

– Probably, you are right. But I can't say that we are unfamiliar with artificial coverage. It influenced, for sure, but we need more time to adapt to it.