Japan v. OlyWhites, 11/7/12

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Profiligate Japan Pay Price At Death

by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's Olywhites scrambled the unlikeliest of 1-1 draws with virtually the last kick of the game at Tokyo's National Stadium on July 11, after being played off the park by their profligate Japanese U-23 counterparts in a pre-Olympics friendly which the host nation should have had sewn up by half-time.

That they didn't was largely due to a combination of wasteful finishing and a lack of precision in the attacking third of the pitch, which contrasted starkly with their impressive approach play to that point.

The first chance of the game fell the Olywhites' way, in the fifth minute. Ian Hogg burst down the left before whipping in a good cross intended for Tim Payne, who went down in the penalty area under the challenge of Japanese captain Kazuya Yamamura.

It was a rather panicked clearance by the Japanese which followed, but it was one of the few times in the half in which they appeared less than polished in their play, because for the majority of the opening forty-five minutes, they gave the Olywhites a footballing lesson as they carved the visitors apart, seemingly at will.

They first threatened in the ninth minute, Hiroshi Kitoyake's slide-rule pass just too far in front of Keigo Higashi for the striker to capitalise upon. Seconds later, Kensuke Nagai gave Adam Thomas the slip down the left and picked out Higashi with a cross which allowed the striker to unleash a volley.

James Musa blocked this effort, while James Gleeson blocked a close-range effort from Yuki Otsu soon after, although the striker had inadvertently handled the ball when it was cleared straight to him following a cross from the overlapping Hiroki Sakai.

Japan were starting to move through the gears, and on the quarter-hour produced a delightful move which was started by Takahiro Ogihara. The ball quickly moved between Nagai and Otsu, but while Musa averted the danger on this occasion, relief was only temporary, as Higashi swooped on the clearance and worked a slick one-two with Nagai, only to see his shot deflect to safety off Tim Payne.

From the resulting corner, Otsu's drive was turned round the post by Gleeson, who was relieved to see the unmarked Yamamura's glancing header creep past the post following a Yuhei Tokunaga cross seconds later.

The Olywhites were under the cosh, with Ryan Nelsen thwarting Japan's next raid, his timely block at point-blank range denying Otsu after the host nation had pulled the visitors this way and that as

they worked the ball all over the pitch.

After a brief lull - but not in the volume of the 20,000-odd fans present - Japan stepped things up again in the 26th minute, Nagai going close with a 25-yarder. Then Gleeson was put under unnecessary pressure by a wayward back-pass - the 'keeper reacted well under pressure from Otsu.

Cue yet more Japanese pressure on the half-hour. Nagai, Otsu and Higashi carved the Olywhites apart at will, but all their enterprise was undone by a poor cross from Kiyotake which Nelsen hooked to temporary safety.

For the blue-shirted natives were swarming in and around New Zealand's penalty area once more seconds later, Tokunaga picking out Otsu with a cross which Japan's star striker controlled on his chest before unleashing a perfect bicycle kick straight at Gleeson - the technical quality of the shot deserved better fate.

Ten minutes before half-time, Nagai took off on a solo raid from half-way which ended up with half the New Zealand team chasing after him. Musa managed to stretch out a leg to block the winger's shot.

The rare sight of an Olywhites attack graced the game three minutes later, with Daisuke Suzuki's stray pass pounced on by Costa Barbarouses. He slipped the ball into the stride of Shane Smeltz, who was bundled over from behind by Hotaru Yamaguchi just outside the penalty area, from where Michael McGlinchey let fly with a free-kick which Shuichi Gonda saved comfortably.

Kiyotake finished the half in spectacular if disappointing fashion, blazing a shot wildly over the crossbar after Nagai and Higashi had combined once more. And it was the winger who got the second half off to a flying start, rattling the post with a curling twenty-yarder just thirty seconds after play had resumed.

Gleeson then kept his side on level terms with two fine saves five minutes into the second spell. He dashed off his line to deny Otsu initially, with Kiyotake's corner seeing Yamamura climb above Musa to direct a header goalwards which the Olywhites' custodian tipped over the bar.

The misses kept on coming. Kiyotake, Sagai and Higashi combined to set up Otsu for another shot which crept inches past Gleeson's right-hand post in the 55th minute, while two minutes later, the 'keeper was afforded catching practice by Kiyotake's free-kick, which was awarded after an under-struck Payne pass had forced Nelsen to take out an opponent just outside the area.

It was around this time that a string of substitutions broke up the flow of the game, allied with a couple of rugged challenges from Adam McGeorge and Nelsen - the Olywhites skipper would surely have seen a second yellow card had this fixture been competitive in nature.

His countrymen couldn't do without his organisational skills, however, nor his presence at the near post to direct a diving header to safety in the 65th minute, after Nagai had given Thomas the runaround yet again - a fullback this young man is not!

Japan finally made the breakthrough their efforts fully merited in the 71st minute. After linking with Otsu, Ogihara dashed to the by-line from where he drove in a cross. It was cleared to Tokunaga, whose 25-yard grasscutter was parried by Gleeson straight into the path of substitute Kenyu Sugimoto - 1-0.

Another uncompromising challenge from Nelsen eight minutes later resulted in another Japanese free-kick, which Kiyotake curled inches over the angle of post and bar from twenty yards out.

In the minutes which remained, Japan seemed content with their one-goal advantage, confident that the Olywhites weren't good enough to haul back the deficit against opponents who were superior in just about every facet of the game.

A couple of stoppage time corners from the visitors gave the host nation cause for concern, but Japan weathered those and raced up the other end of the park, primarily through substitute Manabu Saito, whose solo run took him past four opponents before he lashed his shot inches past the far post.

With time all but up on the clock, Japan's fans were celebrating victory when they had their thunder stolen in pick-pocket fashion! Barbarouses nicked the ball off a defender and played it through for substitute Marco Rojas, whose step-over allowed the ball to run on into the stride of Dakota Lucas.

His first-time placed finish left Gonda beaten all ends up and the Japanese distraught, as the Olywhites pinched a 1-1 draw from a game which, in all honesty, they should have lost - they were well beaten in every department, but come the final whistle, the scoreboard said otherwise.

Japan: Gonda; Sakai, Suzuki, Yamamura, Tokunaga; Kiyotake (Saito, 81), Yamaguchi (booked, 38) (Muramatsu, 62), Ogihara (Yonemoto, 75), Nagai (Yamazaki, 69); Higashi (Sugimoto, 55), Otsu (booked, 68)

Olywhites: Gleeson; Thomas (Myers, 79), Musa, Nelsen (booked, 56) (Lucas, 84), Hogg; Feneridis (booked, 65), McGeorge (Howieson, 66), Payne, McGlinchey; Barbarouses, Smeltz (Rojas, 88)

OlyWhites