Japan have been turning heads at the World Cup with their performances on the pitch. They have beaten two former World champions in Germany and Spain respectively and have finished on top of Group E to progress to the knockouts.
Their best-ever performance at the World Cup has been reaching the round of 16 on three different occasions, and they will be looking to surprise football fans around the world in the 2022 edition by going one step further, at what will be the team's seventh consecutive appearance at the tournament.
Coach Moriyasu will have breathed a sigh of relief that his team sealed a place in Qatar at all following a rocky start to their qualification campaign, with Japan eventually finishing second in their group behind Saudi Arabia despite losing two of their opening three games.
Another tough challenge now awaits, as they are set to go up against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia on Monday.
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