Japan defeated England 1-0 at Wembley on Tuesday, sending a clear message ahead of the World Cup. The victory follows a 1-0 win over Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday, giving the Samurai Blue a perfect start to their European tour. Junya Ito scored the only goal at Wembley, finishing off a fine move late in the game.
Manager Hajime Moriyasu fielded a strong side, with Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma starting after impressing off the bench against Scotland. Mitoma said: 'Against England I want us to be even more aggressive in our defending and see how much we can win the ball back. In attack there may not be many chances, but I want to test the quality of those we do create.'
Japan's recent form has been impressive, having scored 54 goals in World Cup qualification while conceding only three. They also came from 2-0 down to beat Brazil 3-2 in October, their first victory over the South Americans. Captain Wataru Endo, absent through injury, has stated that merely reaching the knockout stages is no longer enough.
The win at Wembley confirms Japan's status as a genuine threat for the World Cup, where they have been drawn in a group with the Netherlands, Tunisia and the winner of the Sweden v Poland playoff. Moriyasu said: 'I think Japan now has the quality to reach the quarter-finals. After that, who knows if we will win or lose.'
