Will it be seventh heaven for Japan at the World Cup?
The Samurai Blue will make their seventh successive World Cup appearance in Qatar and there is only one aim – to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
Since Japan’s tournament debut in 1998, the Samurai Blue have alternated between a group stage exit and a round of 16 departure.
They came agonizingly close to making history at the 2018 Russia edition, but were cruelly eliminated 3-2 by Belgium following a last-gasp goal by Nacer Chadli.
This time, the road to the final eight is paved with huge hurdles.
Japan face a daunting Group E with former champions Germany and Spain lying in wait along with a tricky Costa Rica.
But the Samurai Blue are famous for their resilience.
The final round of Japan’s World Cup qualifying campaign did not start off smoothly, with the Samurai Blue losing two of their first three matches to Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Yet Japan managed to bounce back and eventually beat Australia 2-0 to punch their ticket to Qatar.
Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma was the star of that match after scoring a late brace for his side.
The in-form 25-year-old is just one of manager Hajime Moriyasu’s attacking options.
Japan have an exciting frontline with Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Daichi Kamada waiting in the wings.
Nicknamed “the Japanese Messi”, 21-year-old Kubo may just be the spark that Japan need.
With silky moves and lightning-quick feet, the mercurial winger is one to watch following stints at Barcelona’s famed youth academy La Masia and Real Madrid’s U-19 team.
At the back, Japan look stable with captain Maya Yoshida of Schalke 04, veteran Yuto Nagatomo of FC Tokyo and Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Samurai Blue begin their World Cup with a clash against Germany (23 November) before meeting Costa Rica (27 November). Their final Group E match is against Spain (2 December).
JP2021.COM