森保監督、ドイツで力つけた日本選手を称賛　Ｗ杯独戦で金星

【ドーハＡＦＰ＝時事】サッカーＷ杯カタール大会の初戦でドイツを２－１で下した日本代表の森保一監督は２３日、独ブンデスリーガで経験を培ってきた選手たちがもたらしたこの白星を称賛した。（写真はサッカーＷ杯カタール大会、グループＥ、ドイツ対日本。試合後に選手と勝利を喜ぶ森保一監督＜中央＞）
　日本代表は８選手がドイツ国内でプレーしており、日本に歴史的勝利をもたらしたゴールもそのうちの２人が挙げたものだった。
　前半にイルカイ・ギュンドアンのＰＫで先制された日本だったが、後半にはＧＫ権田修一が好セーブを連発。相手ディフェンスの背後にスペースができ始めると、途中出場となったＳＣフライブルクの堂安律とＶｆＬボーフムの浅野拓磨が終盤にネットを揺らし、驚きの逆転勝利を果たした。
　後半の戦術変更が流れを変えたと語った森保監督は、勝利の真の礎になったのは選手たちが欧州で受けているサッカー教育だと評した。
　森保監督は「ドイツには今回の２６人の日本代表のうち、７人がブンデスリーガ１部、１人が２部」にいると語り、「世界のトップの激しく厳しいタフなリーグの中で日本人選手が学び、力をつけている」とコメントした。
　一方で権田は、２２日にサウジアラビアがアルゼンチンに逆転勝利した試合を見て、チームが触発されたと明かした。
　「ロースコアで推移していれば、サウジアラビアもそうですけど、僕らがしっかり最後まで走り切れればチャンスがあるとチームのみんなで話していた。僕の仕事は、１点取られようが２点取られようが、とにかくできる限りロースコアで終えておくことです」
　グループＥの日本は次戦でコスタリカと対戦し、その後スペインとの第３戦に臨む。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/11/24-17:17）

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu hailed a win made in the Bundesliga after his Blue Samurai stunned four-times champions Germany 2-1 in their World Cup opener on Wednesday.
Eight of Japan's squad are based in Germany and it was two of those players who scored the goals that sealed a historic victory for the Asian side.
Freiburg's Ritsu Doan and Bochum's Takuma Asano both came off the bench to strike late in the second half and help Japan pull off an unlikely comeback against a German team leading through Ilkay Gundogan's first-half penalty.
Moriyasu said a second-half tactical switch had helped turn the tide but credited his players' footballing education in Europe as the real foundation for the win.
We have seven players in the Bundesliga and one in the German second division, but we have many more playing in big leagues in Europe and that has played a big part in our development, he said.
Germany are a big team but our players stayed calm and patient.
Japan looked unlikely to take anything from the match after a timid first half where Germany should have been more than a solitary goal ahead.
Goalkeeper Shuchi Gonda kept Japan in it with a string of good saves after the break, and when space began to open up in Germany's defence, Doan and Asano took advantage.
Gonda said that the team had been inspired by watching Saudi Arabia come from behind to sink Argentina the previous day.
We knew that like Saudi Arabia, if they didn't score any more goals and we kept going until the end, we would get our chances, he said.
Even if I concede one, my job is to make sure I don't concede any more and give us a chance of turning it around.
Doan and Asano both helped inject some pace and urgency into Japan as Moriyasu brought on a host of attacking options in the second half.
Doan lit the spark when he gobbled up a loose ball after German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had parried it into his path in the 75th minute.
Asano completed a remarkable turnaround eight minutes later, outmuscling Nico Schlotterbeck and smashing the ball in at Neuer's near post.
It was a team win. Before the game, we talked about how the players that started would give everything for an hour and then we would come in and finish it off, said Doan.
That's how it turned out and it was a fantastic day.
Japan next play Costa Rica before finishing their Group E campaign against Spain.
Moriyasu has set his team the goal of reaching at least the quarter-finals but he warned his players not to get carried away just yet.
I want us to keep a level head after this and look at what we could have done better and look to win the next match, he said.