Japan¡¯s national soccer team has a high-profile opportunity to set expectations ahead of next year¡¯s World Cup in North America with a friendly match on Tuesday night in Tokyo against Brazil ¡ª a team it has never beaten.
But it won¡¯t be easy for Samurai Blue, which only squeaked out a 2-2 draw against Paraguay in Osaka on Saturday thanks to Ayase Ueda¡¯s equalizer in the 94th minute. Japan had fallen behind in the first half before Koki Ogawa leveled the score at 1-1.
"We¡¯ll be playing at home and aiming for a result," said Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu at a news conference ahead of the game. "While we, of course, recognize that Brazil is one of the world¡¯s top teams, our own players are now competing on the European stage, and we want to go toe-to-toe.
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