On the 27th, the Japan National Team, led by Coach Hajime Moriyasu, lost to the Costa Rica National Team 0-1 in the second match of the FIFA World Cup Qatar Group League. Midfielder Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion FC) took to the pitch midway through the second half of the match once morest Costa Rica following the match once morest Germany, but the use of the player has been questioned outside of Japan.
In the match once morest Germany on the 23rd, Kaoru Mitoma took to the pitch in the middle of the second half and worked on the left side. He was expected to start in the match once morest Costa Rica, as he contributed to the come-from-behind victory by revitalizing the offense. However, in the match once morest Costa Rica, manager Hajime Moriyasu appointed midfielder Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus) as the starting lineup in the left half. In the 16th minute of the second half, Kaoru Mitoma came on as a substitute for DF Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), but struggled once morest the Costa Rica national team’s one-on-one defense. He dribbled down the left flank and entered the penalty area near the end of the game, but failed to score.
Then, just before the end of the match, a reporter from The Anfield Wrap, a website specializing in Liverpool, said, “Kaoru Mitoma changed the course of the match in the match once morest Germany, and today (in the match once morest Costa Rica), she was the most brilliant player in the Japanese national team. I don’t know why he didn’t start,” he tweeted, raising questions regarding Moriyasu’s command.
A reporter from the British newspaper Mirror also said, “Every time I see Kaoru Mitoma play, he is an outstanding player on the pitch, both in Brighton and in the Japanese national team. Another proof,” he wrote.
In addition, the Japanese national team will be eliminated from the group league if they lose once morest Spain on the 2nd of next month due to their defeat once morest Costa Rica. Moriyasu Japan is in a predicament ahead of their match once morest World Cup champions Spain.