Japan strengthened their World Cup preparations on Friday with a solid 2–0 win over Ghana, a result that came with what Ritsu Doan described as “a different kind of pressure” following their historic triumph over Brazil last month.
Goals from Takumi Minamino and Doan secured the win in Toyota City, marking Japan’s first outing since their dramatic 3–2 victory over Brazil — the first time the Blue Samurai had defeated the five-time world champions in 14 attempts.
Doan, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt, admitted that the team felt the weight of expectations after the Brazil result. “There was a different kind of pressure tonight coming after the Brazil game,” the 27-year-old said. “We wanted to try to avoid the ups and downs that come in football and I’m glad that we were able to deliver the win.”
Ghana also returned to action for the first time since sealing their World Cup ticket with a 1–0 win over Comoros last month. But their evening took a worrying turn when midfielder Abu Francis was stretchered off early in the second half with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.
Despite featuring Premier League and Championship attackers such as Antoine Semenyo and Brandon Thomas-Asante — who has scored 10 goals this season for Coventry — Ghana sat deep for most of the game. Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said the match offered valuable lessons.
“Today was good practice for the World Cup in how to break down a high-quality, well-organised team that hunkers down in defence,” he said. “We were able to prise them open.”
Japan were without injured Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, while Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo started from the bench on his return to the squad. In goal, Tomoki Hayakawa replaced Zion Suzuki, who is recovering from fractured wrist and finger injuries sustained at Parma.
The hosts opened the scoring after 16 minutes when Kaishu Sano picked out Minamino in the box. The Monaco forward steadied himself before sliding the ball into the net. Doan doubled the advantage just before the hour mark, cutting inside from the flank and firing a precise left-footed strike beyond the Ghana goalkeeper.
Moriyasu praised his team’s defensive discipline after conceding twice in recent games against Brazil and Paraguay. “I didn’t want to say too much to the players and make them think too much about it,” he said. “They were determined not to concede and then they would try to force them open and score.”
Japan continue their preparations with a friendly against Bolivia in Tokyo on Tuesday. Ghana will travel to Seoul for a meeting with South Korea as both sides intensify their build-up to next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
