London Olympics 2012: Spain 0-1 Japan: Japan spring first surprise

For almost a decade now, they have controlled matches, dictated the tempo and the tactics. Yesterday, the new generation proved they have still got some way to go before they can claim to have gained such superiority.

“We weren’t nervous, but we were forced to chase the game and that’s not our style,” said Spain coach Luis Milla, admitting that his youngsters had been under extra pressure due to the nation’s exploits in the most recent major championships. In those events, he conceded that the national team had been slow starters also and said that his players would remain positive that they too can come good as the competition progresses.

But it was the Japanese who impressed in this Group D opener. They matched their more exalted counterparts and, were it not for some shoddy shooting, could have won by an even greater margin.

It was a game the Olympics needed. The seats which had remained stubbornly vacant throughout the opening day of Olympic football, despite widespread ticket giveaways, were now filled with families desperate for a glimpse of household names like Jordi Alba, Juan Mata and Javi Martinez.

The last time Alba and Mata were in competitive action, they were slotting away goals in Spain’s European Championship victory in Kiev, so it was no wonder they were the crowd-pullers.

But while the 37,726 inside the national stadium sought their close-up, the Japanese made it clear from the outset that they were looking for more than an autograph from their more famous opponents and, by half-time, Yuki Otsu had given them a one-goal lead, and the recklessness of Inigo Martinez had also gifted them a one-man advantage. It wasn’t the way many had expected things to pan out, but this was a real contest and one that Spain, for all their star quality, struggled to get into.

Japan opened strongly and didn’t let up. Stubborn, direct and bold, if only they had showed more composure in front of goal they could have had victory wrapped up early in the second half. Time and again they breached the Spanish defence and time and again they somehow managed to miss when it almost seemed easier to add to the scoreline.

By the point the game had reached stoppage time, the crowd had taken sympathy, not on the Spaniards who the majority had come to watch, but on the gutsy Japanese who carved out one opening after another without the necessary finish. They almost willed the ball into the net, but no-one could oblige. As it was, the 34th-minute Otsu contribution was enough to separate the sides and provide the Games with its first upset. Faster, higher, stronger is the Olympic motto, and it was the underdogs who came out the blocks fastest, set their targets highest and proved both mentally and physically strong enough to reach for them.

But, having soaked up the initial pressure applied by their opponents, Spain did manufacture their first break forward in typical fashion. They passed back and forth before space opened up for Rodrigo but the Benfica forward didn’t quite get the angles right as his shot zipped across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the far post. Mata came a bit closer in the 24th minute, forcing a save. But then came the breakthrough – for Japan.

The corner was fired in and, while Martin Montoya tried to stay with his man, Otsu was able to sneak in front and stick out a leg to direct the ball beyond Manchester United’s David De Gea. The fact that it came from a set-piece annoyed Milla, and rightly so, as they proved so profligate in open play.

Spain may have come back at them, but, in the 41th minute, the prospect of a fightback became more difficult as Martinez again struggled to contain a Nagai break. One-on-one, he jostled and tugged at him, yanking at shorts and shirt, leaving the referee in no doubt, flourishing the red card as he charged to the scene. It left Spain in unfamiliar territory and, for them, the fun, it seems, is not in the chase.