Coach Ikeda urges Japan to be ‘aggressive’ against N. Korea

TOKYO: Coach Futoshi Ikeda promised Japan would be “aggressive” against North Korea as they look to qualify for the Paris Olympics in a winner-takesall women’s football showdown in Tokyo today.

The two sides drew 0-0 in Saturday’s first leg on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia and the winners will claim one of two Asian berths at the Olympic Games.

Ikeda said the match at Tokyo’s National Stadium will be “like a final” but he warned his players that they will need to play hard against a physical North Korea side.

“Of course we need to score to win the game, and to score we need to be aggressive going forward,” he said on the eve of the game.

“I want all the players to be more careful with their positioning than they were in the first leg.

“North Korea will play long balls and we need to make sure we win those second balls.”

The first leg was played in Jeddah after Japan’s football association asked Asian officials to move it from Pyongyang over a lack of operational transparency and a scarcity of flights.

The venue was not confirmed until just days before the game and Japan captain Saki Kumagai criticised officials for leaving it so late.

Ikeda said there were “all kinds of uncertainties” going into the first leg but praised his players for the way they handled it.

“All the players and staff were able to focus on the game,” he said.

“I think the Japanese players’ ability to adapt and maintain concentration is excellent and a real strong point.”

Japan won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics but they missed out on qualification for the Rio Games four years later.

They were eliminated in the quarter-finals at the pandemicpostponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

North Korea returned to international football at last year’s Asian Games for the first time since before the pandemic and lost 4-1 to Japan in the final in Hangzhou.

Ikeda said he felt “a feeling of anticipation” heading into the game.

“It’s not about what we can lose – if we win, it will be a big celebration and I’d rather focus on that,” he said.

“We want to do our best and make the people of Japan happy and feel that sense of achievement.”