Japan and why it is a ‘giant killer’ that should not be underestimated in the World Cup

Since the preview of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, it was announced that Japan was not going to be an easy rival for anyone. The Japanese team has been leading a fantastic evolution in their game for a long time and this Wednesday they made it clear that they have everything to beat the ‘giants’. One has already been knocked down: Germany, the four-time champion.

That Japan has achieved a historic victory in the World Cup, beating Germany 2-1 on their debut, is not by chance. The Asian team was always called to surprise, much more than Costa Rica, in a group that has two world champions.

In fact, the Japanese team has been a classic in the World Cups, not missing any edition since France 1998, Qatar 2022 being their seventh consecutive World Cup. On that journey, they managed to get past the group stage three times, so it wouldn’t be a novelty if they did it again this time. He has already taken an important step towards achieving this.

And it is that Japan is not a rival that should be underestimated for any reason. The experience of Russia 2018 remains, mainly, where this team managed to be one of the great revelations by qualifying for the round of 16 after overcoming a group made up of Colombia, Poland and Senegal. Then, they even came quite close to knocking down a favorite like Belgium, but they let themselves come back in the final minutes (3-2).

Since then, the Japanese team has continued to evolve and today has several of its figures consolidated at the highest level in Europe. Players like Minamino, Kubo, and Tomiyasu can be a pain in the ass for anyone. That is why they did not shrink even against Germany.

“Japan has a team that has a particularity: it must be the time that it has the majority of its players who play for European clubs and alternate at a good level. That gives you competitiveness. The last World Cup was one step away from leaving Belgium out and this Japan has grown. Despite having a bad start to the tie, he recovered and sent Australia to the playoffs”pointed out Ienzo Duarte, an analyst at Alter Fútbol, ​​in the analysis of this Group E.

In this context, it should be noted that Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano, the authors of the Japanese goals in the match against Germany, also play in the Top of Europe. The first plays for Freiburg (2nd in the Bundesliga) and the second does so for Bochum in the same league (17th). Nothing is a casuality.

Now, the team led by Hajime Moriyasu has an endless number of virtues that they already demonstrated at their debut in Qatar 2022. Great physique, speed and dynamism in their game are some of the many virtues that we must highlight. Also, of course, there is total security in the goal with Shuichi Gonda.

“Spain and Germany are two candidates, but I think Japan can surprise, because there is an evolution in their football, because they have managed to be a more competitive team”warned the journalist Veronica Brunati before everything.

And now that fear of the Germans became concrete. When Hansi Flick’s men were close to their second goal, the Japanese came back with two goals that were a bucket of cold water for all who bet on the four-time champion. This is, then, Japan, a ‘giant killer’ that should not be underestimated for anything in the world.