NEWS

The Japan Under-23 side finished fourth in the Toulon International Tournament, losing to the Ivory Coast Under-23 side 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the third-place playoff on Thursday in Toulon, France.

Italy won the tournament after beating Chile 1-0 later in the day.

Japan allowed the Africans to go ahead in the 31st minute with forward Beko Fofana's mid-range strike.

But the young Boys in Blue, playing in heavy rain on a water-logged pitch at Stade Mayol, rallied after the break.

Japan Under-23 coach Yasuharu Sorimachi brought on VVV Venlo midfielder Keisuke Honda and Oita Trinita defender Masato Morishige in the 70th minute.

The Japanese side leveled the scores two minutes later when Urawa Reds forward Sergio Escudero connected with a cross from his partner Tadanari Lee.

In the 82nd minute, Japan gained the upper hand when Morishige headed home a Tsukasa Umesaki corner.

But three minutes into stoppage time, substitute forward Sekou Cisse slotted home the equalizer from close range, sending the game into a penalty shootout. The Japanese team had also lost on penalties (5-4) to Italy after a scoreless draw in the semifinals on Tuesday.

In the shootout, Ivory Coast second kicker Fofana hit the bar while Japan's first three kickers converted their shots to give Japan a 3-2 lead.

But, while Ivory Coast's Moura Anthony and Cisse converted their shots, Lee saw his effort blocked by Ivory Coast goalkeeper Fabrice Okoua and Hiroki Mizumoto's attempt went wide.

"The game evolved as we'd expected to some extent, but we couldn't seal the win," Sorimachi said.

"I suppose this is a signal for us to review what we're doing. All five games here have been a good lesson for us."

Ivory Coast Under-23 coach Gerard Gili said, "It was a game that both sides had a chance to win. Japan is a very good team with strong physique. They gave us a hard time."

Japan started off the annual tournament with a 1-0 win over the Netherlands thanks to Tadanari Lee's 64th-minute winner on May 20. They went on to beat hosts France 2-1 on May 22 with goals from Tsukasa Umesaki and Takayuki Morimoto, before losing to Chile 2-0 on May 24. Japan advanced to the semifinals by finishing second with six points in Group A, three points behind Chile.