Confederations Cup 2013 Scores: How Japan Can Respond from Day 1 Loss

It wasn’t the prettiest day for Japan at the Confederations Cup against Brazil, but they must respond and move on from the loss.

The game was closer than the score indicates.  Neymar was able to get a very quick goal for Brazil in only the third minute of the match. 

After that, Japan held them at bay for the rest of the half.  However, Paulinho was able strike early in the second half to put Brazil up 2-0, and Jo was able to put in a third goal in extra time.

Now that Japan has already lost a match in Brazil, it will be an uphill battle to get out of Group A. Here are a few things they will need to do to win their next two matches against Italy and Mexico.

First off, Shinji Kagawa must pick it up offensively and find a way to get shots off for the rest of the tournament; the Blue Samurai failed to get off a single shot against Brazil. 

Japan was able to get some good possessions thanks to a solid passing game, but the lack of penetration certainly hurt the team.

According to the press office of Manchester United, Kagawa came in determined to win.

Now he’s going to need to prove that this team can win the next two matches.

Losing to Brazil isn’t the end of the world.  They are one of the top two teams in this tournament next to Spain, and the dominance of Neymar always presents a very difficult matchup. Japan hadn’t beaten Brazil in their last nine matches before the loss on Saturday.

All eyes will now be on Japan to see if they can bounce back on June 19 against a struggling Italian side. 

The past two matches have left something to be desired from Italy.  A 2-2 draw against Haiti and a scoreless draw with the Czech Republic shows that they haven't been playing up to expectations recently.

Japan will need their solid passing and possession offense to carry over from Saturday’s loss in order to keep the attack of Italy contained.

No one wants to start any tournament with a loss, and now Japan is in a tough spot.  However, they showed some signs of life in their last defeat to prove that they can potentially advance out of Group A in Brazil.