Houston ¨C If there is one phrase to define Japan¡¯s World Cup history, it would be garyou tensei wo kaku, or ¡°dotting the eye of the painted dragon¡± ¡ª the importance of applying the finishing touches.
For a country that didn¡¯t make its World Cup debut until 1998, it has done incredibly well to assert itself as Asia¡¯s preeminent soccer behemoth, but ultimately, Japan has always missed the final element.
This was the case in 2002, when it lost 1-0 to bronze medalist Turkey in the round of 16, and in 2010, when it lost on penalties to Paraguay. It was the case in 2018, when Japan squandered a two-goal lead and lost 3-2 to bronze medalist Belgium, and 2022, when it took the lead but?lost on penalties to bronze medalist Croatia. And it was once again the case on Monday, when Japan suffered a last-gasp defeat to Brazil in Houston.
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