The Japan Blind Soccer Championship was held in which Japan aims to win a medal at the Paris Paralympic Games, and ``Free Bird Mejirodai'' won for the second time in two tournaments.
Blind soccer is played with five players per team, with visually impaired players other than the goalkeeper wearing eye masks and relying on the sound of a metal-filled ball and the shouts of a guide as they aim for the goal.
Japan, ranked third in the world rankings, has decided to participate in the Paralympic Games for the second time in a row, with the goal of winning their first medal at the Paris Games.
On the 9th, the final of the Japan Championship to decide the best blind soccer player in Japan was held in Machida City, Tokyo, with a match between "Paperecial Shinagawa" who are aiming for back-to-back championships and "Free Bird Mejirodai" who are aiming for their second championship in two tournaments.
In the first half of the match, "Free Bird Mejirodai" took the lead with Japan representative Kento Torii's skillful dribbling and left-footed shot, but immediately after the start of the second half, "Paperecial Shinagawa" caught up with Tsubasa Morita's goal. .
Even so, the ``Free Bird Mejirodai'' regained the lead thanks to a goal from Yuzuki Sonobe of the Japanese national team, and added one more point to win 3-1 and claim their second championship in two tournaments.
Paperecial Shinagawa, to which Japan national team captain Rei Kawamura belongs, came close to the opponent's goal several times, but they were unable to score after that, and they were unable to win their second straight title.
"Free Bird Mejirodai" player Torii, who was the top scorer in this tournament with 6 goals, said, ``I'm glad that we were able to win because the whole team worked hard in attack and defense.I was hoping to score quickly, but... ``I'm glad I got the chance and made the shot.I want to improve even further in preparation for the Paris Paralympic Games.''
Paperésia Shinagawa's Kawamura said, ``I'm very disappointed that we lost.I should have been more involved in the scoring.The national team season begins in earnest from now on.I will compete with other members and help the team in preparation for the Paris tournament.'' I want to raise my standards and aim to win a medal."