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Akira Matsunaga (footballer, born 1914)

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Akira Matsunaga
松永 行
Personal information
Full name Akira Matsunaga
Date of birth (1914-09-21)21 September 1914
Place of birth Yaizu, Shizuoka, Empire of Japan
Date of death 20 January 1943(1943-01-20) (aged 28)
Place of death Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000 Shida High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1937 Tokyo Liberal Arts and Science University
International career
1936 Japan 2 (1)

Akira Matsunaga (松永 行, Matsunaga Akira, 21 September 1914 – 20 January 1943) was a Japanese footballer. He played for the Japan national team. His brother Nobuo Matsunaga and Seki Matsunaga also played for the Japan national team.

National team career

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Miracle of Berlin (1936 Olympics 1st round v Sweden on 4 August)

In 1936, when he was a Tokyo Liberal Arts and Science University student, he was selected Japan national team for 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.[1] At this competition, on 4 August, he debuted and scored a goal against Sweden. Japan completed a come-from-behind victory against Sweden. The first victory in Olympics for the Japan and the historic victory over one of the powerhouses became later known as "Miracle of Berlin" (ベルリンの奇跡) in Japan. In 2016, this team was selected Japan Football Hall of Fame. On 7 August, he also played against Italy. He played 2 games and scored 1 goal for Japan in 1936.[2]

Death

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In 1937, Matsunaga entered the Imperial Japanese Army and served in World War II with the 230th Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant.[3][4] On 20 January 1943, he was killed in action during the Guadalcanal Campaign at the age of 28.[5]

National team statistics

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[2]

Japan national team
Year Apps Goals
1936 2 1
Total 2 1

References

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  1. ^ "Akira Matsunaga". Olympedia. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Japan National Football Team Database
  3. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20200417073130/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/akira-matsunaga-1.html Akira Matsunaga
  4. ^ "ガダルカナル奪回作戦・陸軍の部隊編成表". geocities.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
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