JAPAN FLIES THE ASIAN FLAG HIGH IN QATAR WITH DOMINANCE OVER EUROPEAN GIANTS

Japan shocked both themselves and the football world by defeating Spain and Germany and moving up as the Group E table topper in the Asian World Cup, becoming the first Asian team to go to the knockout rounds.

The courteous Japanese were pleased with the referee’s decision in this case, despite the fact that the world continues to debate whether Kaoru Mitomahad overran the ball to set up Ao Tanaka’s game-winning goal.

“We believe that the goal was achieved since we worked hard to win the game. “It would have been a goal kick if the technology at the time had ruled it out,” coach Hajime Moriyasu jokingly remarked following the game.

We were willing to accept the referee’s verdict since we respect him. He chose the goal, therefore we definitely accepted that we scored it.

Tanaka, however, believed the ball had expired.

“From the angle I was viewing it from, it appeared to be obviously partially over the line, but at the time, my only concern was getting the ball into the goal. I questioned whether VAR had maybe been taken out of play as we waited for it to start. However, I don’t believe we would have been overly disheartened even if the goal had been denied. We achieved the goal due to Mitoma and, of course, the entire team.

It was a terrific job since it ultimately helped us win the game,” the goal scorer stated.

However, Japan was content to accept its victory and maintain Asian ambitions for this World Cup. “It was a match against the world’s best team. Undoubtedly, we anticipated an extremely challenging game, and that’s exactly what we got. Utilizing every resource at their disposal, our guys persevered through the entire game. We owe the people of Japan and our supporters this victory, added Moriyasu.

The Blue Samurais have good reason to be optimistic heading into their pre-quarterfinal match with Croatia after victories against European powerhouses Germany and Spain. “The fact that we defeated two of the best teams in the world, Germany and Spain, will boost our confidence greatly. We still have a lot to learn, but we showed that Asia and Japan can continue to dominate in a global battle,” the happy coach exclaimed.