KUALA LUMPUR – Japan won 1-0 in their opening match against Egypt on the first day of the 29th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup today in Ipoh, Perak.
The score came as a surprise as Egypt stunned Japan with their determined performance to limit their opponents to a solitary goal.
But Japan, who were first to declare that they were gunning for the title when they arrived in Malaysia, said the narrow win over Egypt, who are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, has not changed their aim to clinch their maiden title win.
Japan head coach Akira Takahshi said that his players were a little nervous as it was the opening match, and Egypt’s good performance made things tougher for the team.
“We will definitely be better in our next match against South Korea, and being traditional rivals, I am confident that the players will rise to the occasion.
“Our goal to win the title has not changed. We will improve with each match,” said Takahshi in a statement today.
Japan has never won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup since making their debut in 1987 when they finished sixth.
In their three other appearances, they finished seventh in 2016, sixth in 2017, and fifth in 2019.
During today’s match, Koji Yamasaki scored a field goal in the 16th minute off a pass by Kosei Kawabe in the box for Japan’s only goal.
Egypt’s goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed Gamal Mohamed, 35, one of the senior players in the team with 49 caps, also played an instrumental part in denying the Japanese squad from extending their lead, including saving a penalty shot in the third quarter.
Fittingly, Sayed was also named Man of the Match by media covering the tournament.
Besides Sayed, the Egyptian side also played a stellar game and was denied a goal in the dying seconds of the second quarter as umpire Rashid Harron from Pakistan referred to the video-assisted referee (VAR) and denied the goal scored by captain Amr Sayed after the buzzer went off.
Egypt’s coach and former Pakistan international Zaman Tahir said despite the loss, it was a good result for his men.
“Japan is a good team and for us to only allow them one goal is an achievement.
“But above all, the experience from this high-level international game augurs well for the players.
“We came for the tournament to gain experience against better-ranked teams and we have certainly started on the right foot,” he said.
Egypt will play South Africa tomorrow as Garreth Ewing’s men defeated Pakistan 4-1 today in their opening match of the tournament. – The Vibes, November 1, 2022.
