After going 1-0 up through Gift Motupa from the penalty spot, the Olympic hopefuls were put to the samurai sword, so to speak.
“No excuses, Japan were better than us, no excuses,” Da Gama said at the post-match press conference.
“I think our whole preparation coming from a big tournament in COSAFA, flying for almost 24 hours via Hong Kong and travelling, it was a bit taxing on the boys.
“I thought we did very well for the first 20-25 minutes, and then the players started complaining of heavy legs, so it had an effect on us, but that’s no excuse.
“This is all about mental strength. We’re trying to get the mental strength of these players to the highest possible level. We’re pushing them through the limits.
“That’s why I also told them this is no excuse, they’ve got to mentally adjust and just go to another level.”