The Japanese national team, currently on an away trip to the United States, the host country of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 26 about a year from now, faced off against the Mexican at the Auckland Coliseum.
Although they played a game without ceding the initiative to Mexico, which is ranked higher in the FIFA rankings, they were unable to score a goal and the match ended in a scoreless draw with a 0-0 result.
After the match, in the flash interview, Japan national team midfielder Wataru Endo, who plays for Liverpool in Premier League, commented, "We wanted to keep taking action and applying pressure throughout the 90 minutes, so I think the first half was quite good." He also expressed his satisfaction, saying, "Even though the opponent came at us with high intensity, we were able to hold our ground and push forward firmly, and we were also able to create opportunities at the end."
Especially in defense, they launched effective pressing from the front line. Endo also stated, "The positive approach is the kind of soccer we aim for," and commented, "Even though we were playing against a team ranked higher than us in the FIFA rankings, we still wanted to show our style of soccer, or rather, our positive attitude. So, it would have been ideal if we could have won, but I think we can be evaluated." He revealed that they were able to bring about the game development as intended.
In addition, looking ahead to the next match against the U.S. national team, he said, "Since it's a midweek game, I'd like to prepare thoroughly, and next time, I'd like to put on a solid performance like today's game, work hard to score points and win." He also vowed to improve the aspect of "how to convert opportunities into goals," which remained as an issue in this game.