Japan will face Croatia in the second round of the FIFA World Cup on today after defeating Germany and Spain in the group stage.
Japan has been one of the tournament’s most surprising teams this season. With victories over Germany and Spain, they nabbed first place in the group, however, I n the group stage, they were defeated by Costa Rica.
Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo told reporters ahead of today’s game, “You can’t beat Croatia out of fear, and to win a match, you have to fight without fear.”
“Tactics and techniques are crucial in changing the outcome of a match. But no matter how well, it all grinds to a stop, if you’re scared on the field, everything else will go in vain “Nagatomo stated.
Croatia advanced to the second round after defeating a tenacious Belgium. They qualified as the top team, level with Morocco and Belgium and beat Canada 1-4.
Croatia finished as runners-up in the 2018 World Cup after losing to France in the final.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić made it clear that he fears Japan. Dalić said he did not expect Japan to win the Spanish game.
“When Spain scored the first goal, I thought Japan wouldn’t be able to get back into the game. But they didn’t budge and it was a deserved win for Japan,” Dalić said.
Dalić said he knew Japan’s strength very well after beating Germany and Spain. Dalić said the match would definitely be tough as they have to take on Japan in this situation.
“Japan is a country with which I would like to compete in the World Cup. At the time, I had a different perspective on Japan. But I know it will be difficult to beat Japan now after they defeated Germany and Spain “Dalic stated.
The two teams will compete in the World Cup for the third time. In the 1998 tournament, Croatia defeated Japan 1-0. The two teams were tied at 0-0 in the 2006 World Cup.
Japan is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the second round of the World Cup. Japan has previously lost in the second round three times. Japan was defeated by Belgium in the 2018 World Cup. Belgium, who had a two-goal lead, defeated Japan with three consecutive goals.
The match between Japan and Croatia will kick off around 8:00 o’clock at the Al-Janub Stadium.
