The U23 Asian Cup final will be played in Doha on May 3 at 23:30 GMT, with Japan taking on Uzbekistan.
The Japan National Olympic Team is among the top tier in Asia, winning the U23 Asian Cup trophy for the first time in 2016 and finishing third in the tournament in 2022. This year's U23 Asian Cup, the Japanese national Olympic team sent a lineup containing five players who traveled to Europe, including captain Jean Rukiakima Fujita and Reio Ogikubo to protect the team to reach the final. Fujita and Kashiwa forward Hosoya are the only two players in the squad who have played for the Japanese adult national team.
After entering the knockout stage as the second-placed team in Group B, Japan first defeated host Qatar 4-2 in extra time in the quarterfinals and then eliminated Iraq 2-0 in the semifinals. After five matches, Japan head coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa has basically decided on a tactical concept with Jean Rukiakima Fujita and Jyusei Matsuki in the midfield, and Shindai Hosoya, Ryotaro Araki and Keiyoon Sato in the attack, while the backline also welcomed the return of Takaya Nishio, who had been suspended for three matches in the semifinals.
Facing the pressure of the final, Japan's generals appeared calmer. Tsuyoshi Oiwa said, "We have scored nine goals in five matches, and although we have created a lot of scoring chances, I don't think the number of goals is enough. Our performance is a step-by-step improvement, and I look forward to scoring in the final and then winning the tournament. I certainly remember that game two years ago, but everything is different this time." For his part, Fujita Jean Rukima said, "We didn't do well in the previous year's tournament, they were physically strong and technically excellent. As far as this tournament is concerned, they are in very good form and haven't conceded a goal so far, I think tomorrow's game will be very tough but we will do our best to score and win."
The "match two years ago" that Japan's head coach and captain are talking about is the last U23 Asian Cup, where Japan lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan in the semifinals. In fact, Japan and Uzbekistan have met twice in the U23 Asian Cup, except for the last edition, when Uzbekistan beat Japan 4-0 in 2018 to keep them out of the quarterfinals. In other words, Japan have never taken advantage of Uzbekistan, even lacking a goal.
This year's edition of the Cup saw Uzbekistan continue their heroics from recent editions of the U23 Asian Cup. Uzbekistan have reached the quarterfinals of four consecutive U23 Asian Cups, having previously finished as champions, 4th and runners-up respectively. Uzbekistan lost to Saudi Arabia in the final of the last edition of the Cup and will be hoping to make amends in their third U23 Asian Cup final in team history.
Uzbekistan's path to the Cup has been a terrifying one, as they head into the final on the back of five wins, 14 goals and a clean sheet, just one goal shy of breaking the record for goals scored in a single tournament, and with 56 goals they have already scored the most total goals in all six editions of the tournament.
However, Uzbekistan will need to overcome the problem of incomplete personnel, with Kusanov, Erkinov and Fayzullaev set to miss out, with the trio having returned home early after the team's win over Indonesia. Head coach Kapadze believes his team is strong enough to cope with the attrition, saying, "There are 23 players in the roster and I still have players who are good enough for the final, so I don't think it's a big problem. We know each other and Japan, the final is tough and interesting but we are ready." On his part, captain Jalolidinov, who had scored a goal in Japan's goal in the last semifinal, said, "Playing against Japan two years ago is a great moment in my memory and I will do my best to win for the team tomorrow."
The stage is set for the final, as Japan and Uzbekistan have already shown their fans the quality of their matches. The winner of this match will become the first team to win the U23 Asian Cup twice, so let's wait for the history of the Cup to be rewritten tonight.
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