IPOH – Japan’s Tsubasa Tanaka is confident he can score a brace against Pakistan in their third Sultan Azlan Shah Cup fixture today.
Tanaka, who has scored a goal in his two senior appearances at the Azlan Shah stadium, is part of Japan’s long-term project to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Japan failed to qualify for this year’s Paris Olympics after finishing seventh in the qualifying round held in Valencia, Spain, earlier this year.
They also finished 11th in the final standings of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Currently, India is the only Asian team out of 10 countries to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The 20-year-old Tanaka, who is pursuing his studies at Tenri University back in his country, believes that he will be able to overcome the aggressive Pakistani defence by following the “Samurai” hockey principle imposed by his head coach, Yoshihiro Anai.
“We are focused on playing our ‘Samurai’ hockey principle. We are going to make penetrations as a team and focus on what we need to do to get the result against Pakistan.
“We are aware that they are a really strong side, but I’m confident that I can score two goals against them when we meet.
“I’m happy that we have won two games in a row, and all the credit goes to our team’s determination and hard work over the past few months.
“I hope to contribute as much as I can with my goals to help my team clinch this prestigious title,” said Tanaka when met after his side’s 4-1 victory against New Zealand on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt acknowledges Japan’s threat but believes his team, guided by Roelant Oltmans, can easily defeat their world number 16 opponents.
“The Japanese are a very good side. We watched them play New Zealand and I can say they play compact hockey.
“They are more skilful than the South Koreans, and that is why they have recorded two consecutive wins in this tournament.
“But records are meant to be broken, and we will make sure that our defence will be tight and not allow them to score goals.
“We will definitely have to win our match against them as that’s our main mission for now.
“We intend to take off against them as a warm-up for the remaining matches of the tournament to clinch this prestigious title,” said Ammad.
Pakistan and Japan have clashed 28 times since the 1960 Rome Olympics, with Pakistan having a higher winning percentage of 46.43%.
The last time both sides met was at the Hangzhou Asian Games group match, which ended with a 3-2 win for Japan. – May 7, 2024