# 2008 Japan national football team

This page records the details of the matches played by the Japan national football team during 2008. In 2008 the Japan national football team competed in the third and fourth round of the AFC 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifications, the 2008 East Asian Cup Final, and the 2008 Kirin Cup, amongst other friendly matches.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue | Competition | Japan Goal Scorers |
| January 26 | Chile | D | 0–0 | National Stadium, Tokyo | Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup) | |
| January 30 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | W | 3–0 | National Stadium, Tokyo | Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup) | Nakazawa 68' Yamase 83' 88' |
| February 6 | Thailand | W | 4–1 | Saitama Stadium, Saitama | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | Endo 21' Okubo 54' Nakazawa 66' Maki 91' |
| February 17 | North Korea | D | 1–1 | Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China | East Asian Cup | Maeda 69' |
| February 20 | China | W | 1–0 | Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China | East Asian Cup | Yamase 17' |
| February 23 | South Korea | D | 1–1 | Olympic Sports Center, Chongqing, China | East Asian Cup | Yamase 68' |
| March 26 | Bahrain | L | 0–1 | National Stadium, Madinat 'Isa, Bahrain | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | |
| May 24 | Ivory Coast | W | 1–0 | Toyota Stadium, Toyota | Kirin Cup | Tamada 21' |
| May 27 | Paraguay | D | 0–0 | Saitama Stadium, Saitama | Kirin Cup | |
| June 2 | Oman | W | 3–0 | International Stadium, Yokohama | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | Nakazawa 10' Okubo 22' S.Nakamura 49' |
| June 7 | Oman | D | 1–1 | Royal Oman Police Stadium, Muscat, Oman | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | Endo 53' |
| June 14 | Thailand | W | 3–0 | Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | Tulio 23' Nakazawa 39' K.Nakamura 88' |
| June 22 | Bahrain | W | 1–0 | Saitama Stadium, Saitama | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – third round | Uchida 89' |
| August 20 | Uruguay | L | 1–3 | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo | Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup) | Own goal 48' |
| September 6 | Bahrain | W | 3–2 | National Stadium, Madinat 'Isa, Bahrain | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – fourth round | S.Nakamura 18' Endo 44' K.Nakamura 85' |
| October 9 | United Arab Emirates | D | 1–1 | Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan Stadium, Niigata | Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup) | Kagawa 72' |
| October 15 | Uzbekistan | D | 1–1 | Saitama Stadium, Saitama | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – fourth round | Tamada 40' |
| November 13 | Syria | W | 3–1 | Home's Stadium Kobe, Kobe | Friendly (Kirin Challenge Cup) | Nagatomo 3' Tamada 26' Okubo 62' |
| November 19 | Qatar | W | 3–0 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification (AFC) – fourth round | T.Tanaka 19' Tamada 47' Tulio 68' |

## Players statistics

| Player | -2007 | 01.26 | 01.30 | 02.06 | 02.17 | 02.20 | 02.23 | 03.26 | 05.24 | 05.27 | 06.02 | 06.07 | 06.14 | 06.22 | 08.20 | 09.06 | 10.09 | 10.15 | 11.13 | 11.19 | 2008 | Total |
| Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi | 110(0) | O | - | O | - | - | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | 6(0) | 116(0) |
| Shunsuke Nakamura | 73(20) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O(1) | O | O | O | - | O(1) | O | O | - | O | 9(2) | 82(22) |
| Junichi Inamoto | 68(4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | - | - | 2(0) | 70(4) |
| Yuji Nakazawa | 66(11) | O | O(1) | O(1) | O | O | O | O | O | - | O(1) | O | O(1) | O | O | O | O | O | - | - | 16(4) | 82(15) |
| Akira Kaji | 60(2) | O | - | - | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4(0) | 64(2) |
| Yasuhito Endo | 57(4) | O | O | O(1) | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O(1) | O | O | - | O(1) | - | O | - | O | 16(3) | 73(7) |
| Shinji Ono | 55(6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 56(6) |
| Naohiro Takahara | 53(23) | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4(0) | 57(23) |
| Seigo Narazaki | 51(0) | - | O | - | - | O | - | - | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | - | - | 12(0) | 63(0) |
| Keiji Tamada | 41(9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O(1) | - | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O(1) | O(1) | O(1) | 12(4) | 53(13) |
| Yuichi Komano | 27(0) | O | O | O | O | O | - | O | O | O | O | O | O | - | O | - | - | - | O | - | 13(0) | 40(0) |
| Seiichiro Maki | 26(7) | O | O | O(1) | - | - | - | O | - | O | O | - | - | O | - | - | O | - | O | - | 9(1) | 35(8) |
| Yuki Abe | 24(2) | O | O | O | - | - | - | O | - | O | - | - | - | - | O | O | - | O | O | - | 9(0) | 33(2) |
| Masashi Oguro | 21(5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 22(5) |
| Yoshito Okubo | 21(2) | O | O | O(1) | - | - | - | O | O | O | O(1) | O | - | - | - | - | O | O | O(1) | O | 12(3) | 33(5) |
| Keita Suzuki | 20(0) | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8(0) | 28(0) |
| Hisato Sato | 19(3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | - | O | O | 6(0) | 25(3) |
| Kengo Nakamura | 16(1) | O | O | O | - | O | O | O | - | O | - | - | O(1) | O | O | O(1) | O | - | O | - | 13(2) | 29(3) |
| Yasuyuki Konno | 14(0) | - | O | - | - | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | O | - | O | - | - | O | - | 12(0) | 26(0) |
| Naotake Hanyu | 12(0) | O | O | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5(0) | 17(0) |
| Marcus Tulio Tanaka | 9(2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | O(1) | O | - | O | - | O | O | O(1) | 10(2) | 19(4) |
| Tatsuya Tanaka | 8(1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | - | - | O | O(1) | 4(1) | 12(2) |
| Satoru Yamagishi | 8(0) | O | - | - | O | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3(0) | 11(0) |
| Kisho Yano | 7(1) | O | - | - | - | - | O | - | O | - | - | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5(0) | 12(1) |
| Daisuke Matsui | 6(1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | O | - | - | O | - | - | - | O | 7(0) | 13(1) |
| Makoto Hasebe | 6(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | O | - | O | O | O | O | - | O | 10(0) | 16(0) |
| Hideo Hashimoto | 4(0) | - | - | - | - | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2(0) | 6(0) |
| Ryuji Bando | 3(2) | - | O | O | O | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4(0) | 7(2) |
| Koji Yamase | 2(1) | O | O(2) | O | - | O(1) | O(1) | O | - | O | - | O | - | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | 10(4) | 12(5) |
| Ryoichi Maeda | 2(1) | - | - | - | O(1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1(1) | 3(2) |
| Hiroki Mizumoto | 2(0) | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 3(0) |
| Atsuto Uchida | 0(0) | O | O | O | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | O | O | O(1) | - | O | O | O | O | O | 14(1) | 14(1) |
| Yuto Nagatomo | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | - | - | - | O | - | O | - | O(1) | O | 7(1) | 7(1) |
| Shinji Kagawa | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | O | - | O | - | - | - | O(1) | O | O | - | 6(1) | 6(1) |
| Michihiro Yasuda | 0(0) | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5(0) | 5(0) |
| Shuhei Terada | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | O | O | 4(0) | 4(0) |
| Shinji Okazaki | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | O | O | 4(0) | 4(0) |
| Yuzo Tashiro | 0(0) | - | - | - | O | O | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3(0) | 3(0) |
| Kazumichi Takagi | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | O | - | O | - | 3(0) | 3(0) |
| Shinzo Koroki | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | O | - | - | 2(0) | 2(0) |
| Eiji Kawashima | 0(0) | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 1(0) |
| Keisuke Honda | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 1(0) |
| Takeshi Aoki | 0(0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | O | - | - | - | - | - | 1(0) | 1(0) |

## Top goal scorers for 2008

| Rank | Name | Position | Goals | Matches |
| 1 | Koji Yamase | MF | 4 | 9 |
| 1 | Keiji Tamada | FW | 4 | 12 |
| 1 | Yuji Nakazawa | DF | 4 | 16 |
| 4 | Yoshito Okubo | FW | 3 | 12 |
| 4 | Yasuhito Endo | MF | 3 | 16 |
| 6 | Shunsuke Nakamura | MF | 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Kengo Nakamura | MF | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Marcus Tulio Tanaka | DF | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | 7 players | | 1 | |

## Coach

* Takeshi Okada was the coach for the whole year.