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Japan Qualify for World Cup: A Look at Their Strengths & Weaknesses
Published: June 4, 2013
For a third tournament in a row, the Blue Samurai have punched their ticket to the finals before anyone else—their 1-1 draw at home to Australia on Tuesday confirming their presence in Brazil more than a year before most teams will begin arriving there.
Coming into the match in Saitama, Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni had told FIFA.com he hoped to seal qualification “in front of our own supporters,” and thanks to a 91st-minute penalty conversion by Keisuke Honda that cancelled out Tommy Oar’s opener of just nine minutes before, they were able to accomplish just that.
“We did not give up until the end and we finally got this result,” remarked Honda via FIFA.com after the final whistle, adding, “I felt the pressure but I took the penalty full of confidence, and I made it."
Honda, who plays his club football at Russian champions CSKA Moscow, is just one of a sizable contingent of Europe-based players in Zaccheroni’s squad, and following the draw with Australia, he singled out that reality as one of the reasons why Japan could be a side to be reckoned with at the 2014 World Cup.
“Now so many Japanese players are playing in European leagues; some of them are playing for big clubs," he said via FIFA.com. "Those players have shown what they learned through European league experiences...That’s been shown in our latest results.”
Japan will be participating in their fifth consecutive World Cup finals next year, and in two of the previous four, they managed to progress to the Round of 16. Nevertheless, they remain an unknown quantity in many parts of the world, something that’s no doubt due, at least in part, to the time zone in which they play.
Following is a quick look at the Japanese national team, their manager and a few things to look for when ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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