KYOGO started Japan’s loss to Brazil, with the sides separated by a second-half Neymar penalty.
If anything, the scoreline flatters Japan, with Brazil being so dominant. The Asian country failed to register a shot on target throughout the entire ninety minutes.
Kyogo started on the left-wing, going up against Dani Alves, before being subbed for Celtic teammate Daizen Maeda. Before he came off, Kyogo looked lively, but with the difference in quality between the countries, it was always going to be a difficult game for the Japanese.
Kyogo is determined to take the positives from the match though and use it as a learning curve to better himself, saying;
“Frankly speaking, each Brazilian player was good, and I learned a lot from playing against them. It was a lot of fun to experience something good firsthand, and although it was frustrating to lose and not be able to do anything, I feel that we can still grow.
“We conceded a goal, but we were able to put our bodies on the line at the end, and defensively it was good that we kept the score at on. But in attack, as an individual I am an attacking player, so I had few chances to get a shot off, and although I had time to hold the ball, I had to be able to take it from there.
“I thought (the opponents) reacted very quickly. When I tried to break away, two other players (Marquinhos and Eder Militon) had already reacted, and there were times during the game when my feet stopped, so I had to keep my antenna up and be ready to take a position where I didn’t want to be, and be ready to break away at the right moment.
“In yesterday’s game, I think my reaction was slow by 0.5 seconds or 1 second. I think the difference of a few seconds or tenths of a second is the difference between getting in the back side and not getting the back side, so I need to work on that more and more. Yesterday, my legs stopped and I wasn’t able to take advantage of situations where I could have.”
[Soccer King]
It’ll be a tough one to take for the nation, but it was only a friendly and they shouldn’t dwell on it too much.
They have a chance to finish the international break on a high, facing Ghana on Friday. Hopefully, one of the Bhoys will start and get themselves on the scoresheet.
