The second match in Pool B of the FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar in Odisha saw Japan win by 3-1 over a much lower-ranked Mexico.
However, it was no easy success against a young Mexican team which showed quality, heart and determination. It was Mexico who opened the scoring with an early goal from Erik Hernández only three minutes into the game.
But that advantage was of the briefest duration as in the same minute of play, Hirotaka Zendana, who celebrated his 100th cap for Japan, equalised with a drag-flick from a penalty corner.
Japan continued to raise the tempo and took the lead with a penalty stroke – the first one of this tournament – from Shota Yamada. This followed two good goal chances by Koji Yamasaki, a permanent danger for the opponent’s defence.
Hirotaka Zendana prolonged the celebrations of his 100th cap by adding a second goal to his tally with a penalty corner early in the second half. While Japan’s lead was well-deserved, the Central American side was defending well and kept challenging the 2018 Asian Games champions all along. On top of that, goalkeeper Jose Hernandez was having a very solid performance.
The final minutes of the game saw both teams creating goal opportunities but the score remained at 3-1. With this win, Japan shares the lead of Pool B with US.On Saturday Japan will play South Africa while Mexico will take on US.
In Pool A, Russia take on Uzbekistan while Poland faces India later this evening.
