Japan's men's soccer team passed the group qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics with all three wins. It will face Spain, which is considered a strong favorite in the quarterfinals.
Japan beat Israel 1-0 in the third Group D match of men's soccer at the Paris Olympics on Sunday. Japan, which secured its entry into the tournament early on with two consecutive wins, has secured three consecutive wins to rank No. 1 in the group. Japan lost to Egypt in Group C and is set to play in the quarterfinals with Spain, which passed the tournament as second place. Japan, which met and lost in the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, has now a chance to avenge its defeat. Japan changed six of its main players to play in preparation for the upcoming tournament. Japan, which defended well against Israel's offensive in the early stages, later exchanged battles with Israel.
The team was fiercely contested in the second half as well. Japan led the mood with Shota Fujio shooting from the front several times with threatening movements. Israel also continued to shoot aggressively to secure its first win in the group league, but was blocked by the Japanese goalkeeper, Kokubo.
The extra time in the second half of the year was about to end without any income. Japan made good use of its last-minute opportunity. Hosoya Mao finally shook the net. The match ended 1-0, and Japan passed the group stage with three consecutive wins.
Japan, which has players of age group without wild cards (players aged 24 or older), beat Paraguay 5-0 in the first match of the group league and then 1-0 in the second match against Mali by scoring an extra goal in the second half. It also won 1-0 on the day and reached the quarterfinals by scoring seven points in three matches.Japan met Spain in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and lost 0-1 in overtime, but now has a chance to avenge its loss. Japan is facing its biggest crisis to win a medal in 56 years.
