Japan’s U-20 World Cup group stage exit has left them reeling.

The Japan U-20s have one win and two losses in Group C of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. They defeated Senegal (1-0) in their first match, before falling to Colombia and Israel in back-to-back 1-0 losses. Japan finished third in the group with a 1-2-2 record (-1 goal difference).

They were hoping for a miracle. The tournament features the top 12 teams from each of the first two places in groups A to F and the top four teams from the third place in each group in the round of 16. However, Japan finished last of the six countries that finished third in their group. It was Japan’s first group stage exit in 22 years, since the 2001 tournament in Argentina.메이저놀이터

The shock is palpable. On the 29th, Japanese football publication Football Zone wrote, “Japan has been eliminated from the group stage for the first time since 2001. Japan watched the results of the other three teams in the group. No miracle was possible. Japan’s previous best result was runner-up in 1999. In this tournament, they aimed for the top of the world, but failed to achieve it.” Another media outlet, Nikkan Sports, reported, “Japan failed to pass the group stage for the third consecutive time. They were eventually eliminated in the group stage.