Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Random Diary: Rambling on... Soccer, match against Brazil... First victory...

Good morning. It's raining today, and it looks like it's going to get quite chilly. The season has turned to autumn all at once.

Well, speaking of autumn, there is also the autumn of sports. I don't play sports myself, but I like watching them. I watched the Japan national soccer team match yesterday, too. The match against Brazil... even though they had never won before, they won with a dramatic comeback.

When they were down by two goals in the first half, I thought, 'Ah, this is a loss,' but in the second half, they made an unexpected, furious three-goal comeback... and the match ended just like that. It was wonderful. I found myself applauding in front of the TV.

Even so, Japan has become strong. When they first appeared in the 1998 France World Cup, they were ranked in the 50s, but now they are 19th in the FIFA rankings. They are definitely growing. Even if they can't play as beautifully as Brazil or other South American countries, they have become able to produce gritty goals—that's just my personal opinion.

The remaining challenge is defense, I suppose. Even though it was against Brazil, they let in two goals. It was fine because they scored three, but I don't think you can score three goals that easily. To do that, I think they need to strengthen their defense... It would be great if they could level up both offense and defense.

But I believe they can definitely do it. They have become stronger by repeating these wins, losses, and draws... There have been various players. Gon Nakayama, who scored the first goal in the World Cup finals; Hidetoshi Nakata, who became a hot topic for his smart play; and Kaoru Mitoma, who became a hot topic for the 1mm goal line... Various players have emerged, created history, built a foundation, and gradually become stronger. I feel like the diligent nature of the Japanese people is showing through...

However, it was a historic victory, the match against Brazil. Since they had never won even once before... I feel like star players are being born in Japan, and the team is on the verge of another breakthrough...

I mentioned the autumn of sports, but it really has become a comfortable season for doing anything. I imagine it was easier for the players to play, too. Japan is usually so humid and sweltering that it looked quite tough for the participating players... The conditions were the same for the opposing players, but I think a victory achieved after overcoming such a season is quite valuable...

Amidst so much dark news, I felt like some bright news had arrived for the first time in a while. Perhaps it is based on such bright news that the Japanese people work, and the nation becomes stronger... These days, I find myself thinking that dreams make people stronger.

P.S.
Today's song... Suchmos VOLT-AGE