Scotland edged out by Japan in tight Men’s Nations Cup contest

First place in Pool A is still in Japan’s possession after their hard-fought 1-0 win over a Scotland team that threatened to hand them their first defeat.

Koji Yamasaki’s 44th-minute goal was enough for Japan to bag their second consecutive win, the three points taking them to seven for the tournament, one ahead of New Zealand.

It was a third straight defeat for a gutsy Scottish side, who had more circle penetrations and more shots on goal than Japan. They fired the first real warning shot in the 13th minute when a very well worked move saw Euan Gilmour tee-up Struan Walker near the penalty spot, but his shot hit the crossbar and then he sent the rebound off the post.

Japan dominated the second quarter, but were kept out by excellent defence.

But with the end of the third quarter beckoning, a poor diagonal ball in the middle of the field was intercepted by Japan, putting them hard on attack. Kazumasa Matsumoto fired a hard strike towards goal and Yamasaki was on hand at the far post to deflect the ball into goal.

Scotland piled on the pressure in the final quarter, Jamie Golden sending a penalty corner variation drag-flick wide and Walker firing a promising reverse-sticks opportunity wide. Kazuki Nagai made a couple of crucial interventions in defence in the last couple of minutes to preserve Japan’s lead and leave them perched at the top of Pool A.

 

 

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