Following a 1-1 draw with Sweden on Thursday, which put both teams below the Netherlands in Group F, Japan will play Brazil in a World Cup last-32 match.
In front of 70,000 spectators in Texas, the game took off in the second half when Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead. A few minutes later, Anthony Elanga tied the score. By the end, Japan, who were thought to be dark horses to win the tournament, were just clinging on as both Elanga and Alexander Isak came dangerously near.
In a competitive group, the Netherlands emerged victorious with seven points, followed by Japan with five, Sweden with four, and Tunisia with zero. As one of the top third-place finishers, Graham Potter’s Sweden has also advanced to the knockout stages.
Japan will play Brazil in Houston, while the Netherlands, who easily defeated Tunisia 3-1, will take on Morocco in Monterrey. Coach Hajime Moriyasu stated that their opponents will be motivated by a desire of retaliation after Japan defeated Brazil 3-2 at home in a friendly in October.
“Perhaps because of that match, they will be motivated even more. Yet we do believe that there’s a chance for us to win. And then we hope that we will be able to move one step further and get to the next stage,” AFP quoted Moriyasu as saying.
Potter switched to Elanga as his goalie after his team was destroyed by the Netherlands the previous time out.
“We had to defend the box and wide areas better,” said the Englishman.
The former Chelsea and West Ham boss added: “The boys were fantastic.
“Over the course of the game it was a pretty fair result and arguably we were slightly the better team in the second half.”
Sweden’s next opponent is still unknown, but France is a plausible contender.
“It’s a tricky one. We need to be on our toes in terms of logistics, that’s the fun part of the tournament,” said Potter.
Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands all headed into the last round of matches with a possibility of winning a challenging group. No matter what, the Dutch and Japan, who drew 2-2 in their match, were very certain to advance.
Prior to kickoff, Sweden was similarly in a strong position after defeating Tunisia 5-1 and then losing to the Netherlands by the same score. The only team eliminated from consideration was Tunisia, who played the Dutch in Kansas City on Thursday at the same time.
The Dutch took the lead in the group as two early goals were flashed on the enormous screen that hangs over the field at the Dallas Cowboys’ air-conditioned stadium. The lack of opportunities in the opening period was indicative of Japan and Sweden’s confidence that a point was sufficient.
Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, two players from the Premier League, had little effect on the Swedish attack because Japan, a technically superior team, controlled the ball. Japan’s finest opportunity of the first half came just before halftime when winger Keito Nakamura forced goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to turn the ball around his post.
Ao Tanaka, an all-action midfielder for Japan, jigged his way into space but blasted over the bar to start the second term in the same manner. After Ritsu Doan slid in, dangerous Celtic attacker Maeda rolled the ball past the on-rushing Zetterstrom on minute 56, giving Moriyasu’s squad the lead.
Elanga, a winger for Newcastle, cut in from the right and fired with his left from beyond the box and past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to extend the lead for six minutes.
Suzuki denied Isak as Sweden sought a winner after taking the lead. In the third of the seven extra minutes, Suzuki held Elanga out before stopping a close-range header by Isak.
