Tanaka Aoi: Whether the gap with the Brazilian team has been narrowed can only be tested through games

Sports 3:46pm, 13 October 2025 101

The official Twitter account of the Japanese national team has been updated, showing interviews with some players after yesterday's training, including midfielder Ai Tanaka who currently plays for Leeds United. Tanaka Aoi bluntly said that only by playing against each other can we personally experience whether the gap between the team and Brazil is narrowing.

Tanaka Aoi said: "Football is about winning and losing. It is not easy to win every game, and sometimes the game may be good but it may not be won. But even so, we still have to pay more attention to details. Since football is a sport with the goal of scoring goals, we must think about how to score goals. There may be scenes of losing the ball during the game, and there may also be different results due to the ball being broken at your feet, so we must consider these. factors, and then think about how to create offensive opportunities."

"Now the Japanese team and Japanese players are constantly improving, but at the same time, the Brazilian team is also constantly improving. Whether the gap between us has narrowed can only be tested through the game. But the important thing is that we have to show our own level on the court, and then think about how to win the game. After all, the national team is not just a platform to test ourselves, but we must go all out with the goal of winning."