NEWS

Japan exited the 2010 World Cup in the Round of 16, but midfielder Daisuke Matsui thinks the Samurai Blue and Japanese football came away from the finals in South Africa with plenty of benefits.

Japan reached the knockout stage for the first time since the 2002 tournament after winning two games in the group stage (against one loss). But the Boys in Blue bowed out of the tournament after losing to Paraguay 5-3 on penalties following a scoreless draw in Pretoria on June 29.
Although it was a disappointing result, Matsui said he and his teammates took plenty of positives from their experience, and Japanese football should benefit as a result.
“The biggest thing I got out of this tournament was confidence,” said the Grenoble player.
“The fact that I could come this far with my teammates, face various opponents and produce good results was a wonderful experience and will be of great benefit to me.”
Before the tournament, Matsui often found himself on the bench, but Japan boss Takeshi Okada put the former Le Mans and St. Etienne player into the starting lineup for a training match against Zimbabwe three days before Japan’s World Cup opener.
Matsui went on to start in all four of Japan’s matches in the World Cup, proving his credentials on the world stage.
“I think it was great that we were able to come this far playing a type of football that we hadn’t played before and with good team understanding. This is something we can count on as a strong point of Japanese football.
“I always thought we were missing toughness to fight against opponents and win the ball, which is a natural thing for those who play abroad. That’s one thing I wanted to add to the team.”
Asked how he looks back on his first World Cup, Matsui replied: “Some of us were taking part in the World Cup for the first time, but we reached this stage even though Japan hadn’t won a game outside our country before. It’s a historic achievement and our success came from our team unity.
“But we will also remember this tournament as a disappointing moment in our football history, and that feeling of disappointment will help spur me on in my football.”