The players of the Japanese national team, who lost to Croatia in the first round of the World Cup Qatar soccer tournament on the 5th, responded to an interview overnight, and captain Maya Yoshida said, "It was really fun. Let's play soccer together more and more." I wanted to do it, and I wanted to pull the team to the next level,” he said.

Japan defeated Germany and Spain, both of which have won the World Cup in Qatar, to advance to the first round, but lost to Croatia in the first round of the final tournament held on the 5th, and was unable to advance to the top 8 for the first time in history. I didn't.



Japan finished the tournament in the best 16 for the fourth time, and the players responded to the interview on the 6th.



Among them, Maya Yoshida, the captain, said, ``I think it was a tournament where we could fully show the strength of the team.'' Covering his face with his hands, ``It was really fun. I wanted to pull the team one step higher," he said.

Doan "I think about soccer more than anyone else and move forward"

Ritsu Doan, who scored two goals in the first round, said, "I'm glad I was able to show my strengths to some extent." I have to. Tomorrow, I have no choice but to think about football more than anyone else and pursue my dreams more than anyone else."

Nagatomo "I don't think about the future at all"

Yuto Nagatomo, a veteran player who has participated in four consecutive tournaments, said, "I have never been so enthusiastic in my life. I was really proud to see the juniors fighting hard, and I was impressed by them. It was the best team and a bravo team,” he praised his friends.



Regarding his future, he said, "I've put everything into these four years, so I'm honestly not thinking about the future at all. Instead of taking a break and making decisions in the current state of excitement, I'll be calm. I want to make a firm decision," he said.

Mitoma "Be a threat throughout the 90 minutes"

One day after the match against Croatia, Kaoru Mitoma said, "I felt the difference from the rest of the world, especially in terms of physical strength, and I still think I'm still lacking. It's great to be able to play against so many wonderful countries on this stage. It's been an experience, so I have to make the most of it," he said.



Regarding the fact that he was a substitute in all the games he participated in this tournament, he said, "If I don't show my ability from the starting lineup and let the team win, I can't be satisfied with being a substitute. I always feel that I have to become a threat, so I want to pursue that."

Gonda: “I wanted to see how much I could grow in the future.”

Shuichi Gonda, who played the full 4 games, said, "As I played more games, I became more and more confident that I could pass at this level. I really wanted to see how much I could grow."



In the match against Germany in the first round, he was selected as the best player of the match, and his performance was highly evaluated. In order to go higher, we need to grow into a team where field players are admired more.If that happens, I think the team will have a sense of stability even in battles against the world." I was.

Kamata "I simply didn't have enough ability"

Daichi Kamata, who participated in all four games, said, "The World Cup was really a dream stage for me. After the game, I was very depressed and very sad, but after a day, my feelings have already changed, and I'm going to play next time. I want to do my best for this," he said.



After that, looking back on the tournament, "I think that my ability was simply not enough, so that I can become more of a force for the Japan national team in the next four years, I will step up and do my best so that I can continue to play well at the club." I was determined.

Tomiyasu "I haven't been able to sort it out yet."

Looking back on the match against Croatia, TOMIYASU Takehiro said, “I think we lacked a lot of things, but we haven't been able to sort things out yet. We wanted to win.”



When asked about the tournament four years from now, he answered with tears in his eyes, "My seniors say that the next one is the next one, but I can't think about the future yet. Even so, I have no choice but to look forward, so I want to make a change." was

Ito "I want to challenge one more time"

Junya Ito, who contributed to the team in both offense and defense by making use of his characteristic speed, said, "I think it's really amazing that we won against Germany and Spain, and I think that's something we can be proud of. However, we're playing the same way. I think it will be difficult to win again, so we have to increase our time.”



On top of that, for the tournament four years from now at the age of 33, he said, "I couldn't achieve my goal this time, so if I have the chance, I want to try again. Four years is a long time, so I don't know what will happen. I am willing to take on the challenge," he said.