At the Tokyo Olympics, the Japan national football team will face Spain in the semi-finals in Saitama City from 8 pm on the 3rd.

If Japan wins, it will be the first time to advance to the final, and the highest silver medal or higher will be confirmed.

Japan, which has advanced to the top four for the first time in two tournaments since the 2012 London Games, will face Spain in the semi-finals on the night of the 3rd.



The opponent Spain has 18-year-old Pedri who plays in Barcelona, ​​the powerhouse of the Spanish 1st division, and other players with high skills at his feet, and this tournament has an average of over 60% ball domination in the four games so far. I am proud of the rate.



Japan will lack Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is the key to the defense, due to the suspension of participation due to cumulative warnings, but this tournament centered on Captain Maya Yoshida against the opponent who is looking for a chance to score while turning the ball 4 The key is whether the defense team, who has one goal in the match, can defend persistently.



Also, on the 17th of last month, he played against Spain in the last warm-up game before the tournament and drew one-on-one. It is also a point that 20-year-old Takefusa Kubo, who has marked the mark, can take advantage of the few chances.



At the Olympic Games, Japanese soccer boys won the bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico Games, which is the best result, and if they win the match on the 3rd, they will advance to the final for the first time, and the silver medal or higher will be confirmed.



The match will be held from 8 pm at Saitama Stadium in Saitama City.

Candidates for the championship with good Spanish players

Spain is a powerful team with talented young players who can be nominated for victory.

At the Olympic Games, he has won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games.



He won the right to participate in the Tokyo Olympics by winning the European Championships under the age of 21.



Many players are already active in the age-restricted Spanish national team, which is ranked 6th in the latest world rankings, and was in the top 4 of the European Championships from June to July.

The Tokyo Olympic team includes six of the members of the European Championships.



Of these, the 18-year-old Pedri is the one who gets the most attention.

A midfielder with an outstanding pass sense, he played 52 official games last season in Barcelona, ​​the prestigious Spanish League One.



In addition, Mikel Oyarzabal, a forward who has played in the first division of Spain and has scored two goals so far, and Dani Olmo, who has been active in the first division of Germany and has scored one goal so far, are also opponents to watch out for.



Japan played against Spain as the last warm-up game before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics on the 17th of this month, and at this time Ritsu Doan scored the first goal in the first half, but Pedri's in the second half when the members were largely replaced. The pass was the starting point and he was caught up and drew one-on-one.



In the qualifying league, he passed the 1st place with 1 win and 2 draws, and in the quarterfinals, he played against Cote d'Ivoire, and after an extra time, he won 5-2 and advanced to the semifinals.

Will it be the third honesty to advance to the final?

This is the third time that a Japanese soccer boy has advanced to the semi-finals at the Olympic Games. At the 1968 Mexico tournament, he advanced to the semi-finals with Kunishige Kamamoto, who became the top scorer in this tournament, and played against Hungary, but lost 0-5.



Then, in the 3rd place playoff, he played against Mexico and won the bronze medal with 2 goals from Mr. Kamamoto 2-0. This is Japan's highest record at the Olympics.



The second is the 2012 London Games. At this time, he defeated Spain, a candidate for victory, in the first match of the qualifying league and gained momentum, and advanced to the semi-finals to play against Mexico. Captains Maya Yoshida and Hiroki Sakai, who are also members of the overage frame, participated in this tournament, and in the 12th minute of the first half, Yuki Otsu took the lead with a goal, but after that they lost 3 points and lost the game. I missed the final. Even in the 3rd place playoff after that, I lost to Korea and did not win a medal.



I played against Mexico in the last warm-up game before the London 2012 Games, and I won 2-1 but lost in production. Even at the Tokyo Olympics, as the last warm-up game before the Games, we played against Spain, the opponent of the semi-finals, and drew one-on-one.



Yoshida said, "I don't want to feel the same as that time. I think it's my job to convey the experience, so I'd like to tighten my mind so that I can push the team forward."