Japan Target Second World Cup Upset Against Spain

Japan will try to pull the plug on Spain’s “computer game” football in their World Cup showdown on Thursday, with the Blue Samurai eyeing their second major upset of the tournament. Japan beat Germany in their opening game of Group E and they will book their place in the last 16 if they can add Spain to their collection of scalps. Victory will not come easily for a Japan team who came under pressure for long periods against Germany and stumbled to a stodgy 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in their second game. Coach Hajime Moriyasu is wary of Spain’s threat but backed his players to spring another surprise. “Tomorrow is going to be a high-pressure game for our players but they must believe in themselves and in their team-mates,” he said Wednesday. “It’s always an important match — that never changes. If the players can play to 100 percent of their potential, then the result will follow.” Moriyasu called Spain a “tactically strong” team who have “dynamism as well as technique”. Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda said Spanish players are “good at being in the right place at the right time” and warned his team-mates to have their wits about… Read full this story

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