Naotake Hanyu netted the winner as Japan downed Ukraine 1-0 in the men's soccer final to clinch the gold medal at the University Games in Beijing on Friday.
Hanyu, a 21-year-old student of Tsukuba University, scored the decisive goal early in the first half to give the East Asian Games champion its first soccer gold medal of the University Games since beating South Korea 2-0 in the final on home soil in Fukuoka in 1995.
"That goal was all we needed. After that, I thought we coped admirably at the back. Considering we were the only country to field a completely amateur team, I think I can say that this is a very big win for us," Japan coach Toshiro Takii said after the final.
The win also boosted Japan's gold medal total to 12, exceeding the total number of golds won at the previous University Games in Spain.