Japan defies doubters

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — Attack-minded Japan defied sceptics, who said it would flop at the World Cup and instead go into its final group game on Thursday needing just a draw to reach the Last 16.

Japan sacked its coach just two months before the World Cup, throwing its preparations for Russia into chaos.

Following a series of poor friendly results and reported clashes with senior players, the Japan Football Association (JFA) gambled in getting rid of Vahid Halilhodzic and replaced him with JFA technical director Akira Nishino.

The move in April was deeply controversial, coming so close to the World Cup, even if not quite on the scale of the risk taken by Spain, which dumped its coach on the eve of the tournament.

Philippe Troussier, a former coach of the Asian side, told AFP before the tournament that a team bereft of confidence had “no chance” of reaching the knockout stages.

Japan may still fail to get out of Group H, but it has surpassed expectations and play already eliminated Poland with its fate in its own hands.

It has been a roller-coaster few weeks for Japanese fans.

Friendly defeats to Ghana and Switzerland following Nishino’s appointment deepened the sense of foreboding, although Japan beat Paraguay just before the World Cup.

From there it became history-maker when it beat 10-man Colombia 2-1 in its opening game, the first Asian side to defeat a South American team at a World Cup.

It followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Sadio Mane’s Senegal on Sunday, a game in which Japan had enough chances to win but ended up twice chasing the match because of poor defending.

Even Senegal coach Aliou Cisse admitted the Asians were the better side.

In the Colombia victory in particular Japan was rewarded for Nishino’s adventurous approach.

On the eve of the Senegal showdown, in which Japan was again the underdog, Nishino revealed that at half time against Colombia some of his players wanted to settle for 1-1.