On Tuesday 18 November, SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) faced Bolivia at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo in the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2025. Goals from KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace), MACHINO Shuto (Borussia Monchengladbach), and NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims) secured a comfortable 3–0 victory, giving Japan their third consecutive win and celebrating head coach MORIYASU Hajime’s 100th international A match in charge.

In their final warm-up fixture of the year—played seven months before the start of the FIFA World Cup 26™—Japan met a Bolivia side preparing for the FIFA Play-Off Tournament next March as they aim for their first World Cup appearance since 1994. Japan made seven changes from the team that defeated Ghana four days earlier and, after taking an early lead, added two more goals after the break through effective substitutions.

Japan retained their 3-4-2-1 formation. Goalkeeper HAYAKAWA Tomoki (Kashima Antlers), TANIGUCHI Shogo (Sint-Truidense VV), and the inside midfield duo MINAMINO Takumi (AS Monaco) and KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad) all started for a second successive match. OGAWA Koki (NEC Nijmegen) led the line, with MAEDA Daizen (Celtic FC) deployed at left wing-back and SUGAWARA Yukinari (Werder Bremen) on the right. Kamada and ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) formed the holding midfield pairing, while ITAKURA Kou (AFC Ajax) and SEKO Ayumu (Le Havre AC) completed the back three.

Japan immediately sought to exploit spaces behind Bolivia’s defensive line and down the flanks. Within moments of kick-off, Ogawa latched onto a ball from midfield to threaten the goal, and just four minutes in, Japan struck first. After Endo intercepted a pass, Kubo carried the ball down the right and delivered a cross that reached Kamada arriving inside the left of the penalty area. Kamada struck with his left foot, placing the ball neatly into the bottom-right corner.

Ranked 19th in the FIFA World Ranking, Japan continued to press against 76th-ranked Bolivia. In the 24th minute, Sugawara surged forward and delivered a cross that Ogawa met at the near post, only for the effort to be denied by the crossbar. Minamino attempted to finish the rebound with his right foot, further testing the Bolivian defence.

Bolivia, who made just one change from their 0–2 away defeat to Korea Republic on the 14th, looked to threaten through the likes of Miguel TERCEROS, Enzo MONTEIRO, and Fernando NAVA—players who also feature prominently in their South American qualifiers. In the 30th minute, Nava dispossessed Japan high up the left flank and drove forward for a shot, while Terceros later attempted to score directly from a free-kick in the 43rd minute, though neither chance brought an equaliser.

Japan introduced DOAN Ritsu (Eintracht Frankfurt) at the start of the second half, revitalising their attacks down the right. Further substitutions in the 67th minute—UEDA Ayase (Feyenoord), Machino, and Nakamura—significantly raised the tempo.

Soon after the triple change, Ueda connected with a header from Doan’s cross to threaten the Bolivian goal. Three minutes later, in the 71st minute, Doan again found space on the right and slipped a ball into Nakamura inside the right of the penalty area. Nakamura played a first-time cut-back across goal, where Machino arrived centrally to slot home and extend Japan’s lead to 2–0.

Japan struck again in the 78th minute. Receiving a pass from Seko along the back line, Ueda drove down the left and squared the ball for Nakamura, who finished with his right foot to make it 3–0.

Following the introduction of FUJITA Joel Chima (FC St. Pauli) in the 77th minute, GOTO Keisuke (Sint-Truidense VV) entered in the 82nd as a left-sided attacking midfielder. This prompted a reshuffle, with Nakamura moving from an inside role to left wing-back as Japan continued to test different combinations and positions.

Bolivia attempted to respond with counter-attacks in the second half, with substitutes such as Moises VILLARROEL and Diego MEDINA taking aggressive shots. However, Japan’s defence remained composed and prevented any clear-cut chances.

With this win, Japan recorded back-to-back clean sheets and three consecutive victories following their triumph over Brazil in October. Under Moriyasu—who has led the team since September 2018—Japan’s international A match record now stands at 69 wins, 14 draws, and 17 defeats (excluding one walkover), reaching the milestone of 100 matches.

Japan’s next fixture will take place in March next year. Meanwhile, the draw for the FIFA World Cup 26™ is scheduled for 5 December (6 December Japan time).

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Head Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
To win our final match of the year at home and deliver that victory to everyone supporting us means a great deal. I’m grateful to the players for their efforts. It was a difficult match in which we struggled to bring the game fully under our control. The ball moved back and forth unpredictably and had we switched off even slightly or been slow in our transitions, we could easily have conceded. Despite that, the players remained focused, kept a clean sheet, and secured the win. Of course, it is important to play well and win when we have the initiative, but today the players showed they could win regardless of the performance. We changed seven starters from the Ghana match, and the players demonstrated that “we can function as a team and win no matter who is on the pitch.” It was a positive challenge, and I hope it will give us greater confidence going forward.
Today marked my 100th match in charge, but it is by no means an achievement of mine alone. We have reached this point through a collective effort—players, staff, and everyone involved—approaching each match together as one team. I have been congratulated by so many people, including players, staff, and supporters, and it has reminded me once again just how much support we have received along the way. I am filled with gratitude.
As for what we’ve built so far, the players have continued to fight as a united group, showing toughness and resilience to battle to the end—even in a match like today’s, where the flow wasn’t necessarily in our favour. Everyone worked hard in both attack and defence and executed transitions quickly and with purpose. I feel our team concepts are really taking root.
Although we’ve had some squad rotation in September, October, and November, the players have done an excellent job of expressing our team principles—both offensively and defensively—on the pitch, and the team’s overall quality has improved. That said, I want each player to continue raising their individual level if we are to win at the World Cup. Our opponents will analyse us too, so we as staff must be ready to outmanoeuvre them in terms of tactics and game plans, ensuring we always have a response to their approach.

DF #3 TANIGUCHI Shogo (Sint-Truidense VV/Belgium)
There were plenty of things to reflect on in this match. It was quite a difficult game, but keeping a clean sheet is one positive we can take. Situations like this can certainly occur at the World Cup, so being able to win a tough match is encouraging. That said, we allowed them to win the ball in dangerous areas during our build-up, which led to short counters, and there were also too many basic mistakes—including from myself. If we don’t cut those out, they could become fatal as the level rises, so that is definitely something we need to improve.

DF #4 ITAKURA Kou (AFC Ajax/Netherlands)
There were moments when I felt things weren’t going well, and throughout the match we were dealing with a certain degree of difficulty. However, matches like this will certainly happen at the World Cup. A single goal could easily have shifted the momentum against us, so to finish with a clean sheet is something positive to take away. In international football, it’s crucial not to let small mistakes turn into goals, and that’s something I kept in mind. Against stronger opponents, the quality of their short counters will be much higher, so we need to play more safely in our own defensive third, while ensuring we spend as much time as possible in the opposition half.

MF/FW #6 ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC/England)
We took control from the start and entered the game well. There were periods when the opponents had more of the ball, but we stayed patient, kept a clean sheet, and scored three goals. I’m pleased we were able to give the coach a win in his 100th match. Personally, I haven’t played much for my club recently, but I approached the match determined to deliver a high-level performance. I focused on organising the team and on how to defend in difficult moments. It’s good that we won, but we shouldn’t feel fully satisfied with our overall performance. We’ll all return to our clubs now, and I want us to come back in March ready and in good spirits.

MF/FW #9 MACHINO Shuto (Borussia Monchengladbach/Germany)
Watching from the sidelines, I felt that if we pressed well up front and won the ball in good areas, chances would come. When I came on, Doan and Itakura told me to push out aggressively, so my role was very clear. We won the ball in good positions, and for the goal I simply kept running without stopping, which made all the difference. Playing as a shadow striker alongside Nakamura, who is excellent on the ball and in one-on-one situations, allowed me to leave certain responsibilities to him and focus on making runs into the final third. I’m pleased our approach worked and that the substitutes—Ueda, Nakamura and myself—were all able to contribute, which is very important for the team.

MF/FW #13 NAKAMURA Keito (Stade de Reims/France)
I’m glad I was able to score in a way that suits my strengths. I came on determined to go straight for goal. In the previous match, I struggled to get involved when playing as a shadow striker, but today I focused more on driving towards goal. Having Ueda nearby to hold the ball up made a big difference. He gave me time and space, and the pass arrived at the perfect moment, so I’m grateful to him for that. For the assist, I imagined pulling back and cutting the ball into the right area. Doan gave me a great pass, and I was able to break into the half-space with good momentum.

MF/FW #15 KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace/England)
Bolivia have plenty of talented players and have been competing in the South American qualifiers. After we went 1–0 up, there were some difficult spells, but we managed to keep a clean sheet and score three goals, which shows how much we’ve grown. For my goal, the coach had instructed us to attack those spaces, and Kubo delivered an excellent cross, so I was able to finish well. I hadn’t been scoring or assisting much recently, so I wanted to contribute again in that area. I’m pleased we were able to secure a win in Moriyasu-san’s 100th match, which is a significant milestone.

MF/FW #20 KUBO Takefusa (Real Sociedad/Spain)
In the first ten minutes or so, it wouldn’t have been surprising if we had already been 3–0 up, so I’m pleased with the way we started the match. For the assist, I had a bit of time and space and could see Kamada arriving. A faster ball would probably have made it difficult for him to finish directly from that angle, so I aimed to deliver a pass he could control comfortably. There is a long break until March, so my aim is to improve my conditioning and keep pushing to reach the next level. I believe I can improve technically as well.

Oscar VILLEGAS, Head Coach of Bolivia National Team
Having seen how Japan played against Brazil and Paraguay, we knew they would be a very difficult opponent, and we expected high pressure and intensity. However, conceding early caused psychological damage to our players. We are a young team, but after the 20th minute we were able to control the match better, and in the second half I felt we were able to play more proactively. Unfortunately, just as we began to improve, we conceded the second goal, which completely changed the flow of the match. We created several opportunities, and it would have been ideal to make them count, but the players worked hard until the very end.

Fixture: SAMURAI BLUE vs Bolivia National Team
Date: Tue. 18 November, 19:15
Venue: Japan National Stadium, Tokyo
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