Japan’s group stage exit at the U-20 World Cup is a tough one.
The Japan U-20 national team went 1-2-2 in Group C of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. They defeated Senegal (1-0) in their first match, but fell to Colombia and Israel in back-to-back 1-0 losses. Japan finished third in the group with a 1-2-2 record (-1 goal difference).
They were hoping for a miracle. 메이저놀이터 The tournament features the top 12 teams from each of the first through second place finishes in Groups A through F and the top four teams from each of the third place finishes in each group in the round of 16. However, Japan finished last of the six countries that finished third in their group. It was Japan’s first group stage exit in 22 years, since the 2001 tournament in Argentina.
The shock is palpable. Japanese soccer publication Football Zone tweeted on Monday, “Japan has been eliminated from the group stage for the first time since 2001. Japan watched the results of the other top three teams in the group. No miracle was in store. Japan’s previous best result was a runner-up finish in 1999. In this tournament, they aimed for the top of the world, but they failed to achieve it.” Another media outlet, Nikkan Sports, reported, “Japan failed to pass the group stage for the third consecutive time. They were eventually eliminated in the group stage.