Japan stunned Spain in dramatic fashion as they won 2-1 to win Group E and qualified to the Round of 16. Hajime Moriyasu on his side’s win:
“I think the players fought with tenacity and confidence. The first half was a tough battle. They continued to believe they could do it and it was good that they fought until the end as a team. Above all, I think we managed to win thanks to the support of the fans and the love of all those who sent their support from Japan, even if it was early morning there.”
“We tried to contain as much as possible, then tried to score. Players are giving us a new and different vision about the possibility of competing on the world stage. Now we want to set a new record trying to go even further. I’m happy to have achieved a result that we can all be happy about.”
Substitute Ritsu Doan equalised for Japan with a fierce shot from the edge of the area and, only 142 seconds later, Kaoru Mitoma retrieved Doan’s low cross and found Ao Tanaka to bundle home from close range in dramatic circumstances.
