NEWS

 

Japan came from behind to beat Cuba 4-1 and earn their second win in the FIFA Futsal World Cup at Gimnasio Nilson Nelson in the Brazilian capital Brasilia on Monday.

Japan came close to scoring early on through Yusuke Inada and Yuki Kanayama, and in the ninth minute Kenichiro Kogure hit the post off a Rikarudo Higa pass.
However, it was Cuba who got themselves on the scoreboard first in the 16th minute when Yampier Rodriguez collected a loose ball and lobbed Japan goalkeeper Hisamitsu Kawahara from long range.
Cuba threatened the Japan goal again when Boris Saname hit the woodwork shortly before halftime.
Japan rallied in the second half and leveled the scores in the 24th minute when Nobuya Osodo beat two opponents and calmly slotted the ball through the legs of Carbo.
Boosted by the equalizer, Japan attacked and Kotaro Inaba drove up to fire home the tie-breaking goal two minutes later.
Cuba faced a setback when they lost Jhonnet Martinez after his second booking of the day in the 31st minute and Japan quickly took advantage of the situation.
In the 32nd minute, Kanayama controlled an Inada rebound before firing the ball home. Two minutes later, Inaba received a pass from Inada and finished with a powerful strike off the bar.
“I think our team is improving,” Higa commented. “We didn’t fall apart when we let Cuba score first and just carried on playing at our own pace, keeping a cool head. We are more confident now.”
Japan are third in their group with a 2-0-1 win-draw-loss record. They trail second-placed Russia on goal difference.
Japan will play Russia in Rio de Janeiro in their fourth and final match in the group stage on Wednesday. Russia demolished the Solomon Islands 31-2 while group leaders Brazil were idle on the day.